The Cava Designation of Origin

The Designation of Origin (D.O.) Cava covers quality Spanish sparkling wines produced using the traditional or champagne method, in which the wine undergoes a second alcoholic fermentation in the bottle. The geographical and human characteristics of each bottle, together with the traditional way of making the product, are part of the idiosyncrasy of this wine. Protecting these characteristics, and protecting and distinguishing Cava from other sparkling wines, is the main purpose of the official designation, or D.O.

The producers and manufacturers under this D.O. are committed to maintaining the highest possible quality standards of their products, made using the traditional method of production. In return, they obtain legal distinction from similar products made in other areas, as well as access to national and international markets.

And what does the Cava Designation of Origin guarantee to the consumer?

The assurance that you are buying a genuine and authentic product with a consistent level of excellence. A unique wine, guaranteed by years of history and tradition, but also by the rigorous controls and requirements of its regulatory body. In this way, quality sparkling wines are produced, under the Designation of Origin and within the area delimited by it. Cava is made with a second fermentation in the bottle, and aged for a minimum of 9 months, with the wine in constant contact with the lees in the same bottle in which the fermentation took place.

The Regulatory Board, the guarantor of quality

The Cava Regulatory Board is a decentralised body of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and is made up of winemakers, producers, and representatives from both the Cava region's autonomous communities and from the ministry.

The council is responsible for safeguarding and guaranteeing the quality of Cava, and for compliance with the regulatory specifications. It is the monitoring body delegated by the appropriate public authority to certify the origin, production method, and analytical and organoleptic characteristics of the wine.

All stages of the winemaking process are carefully monitored: production, handling, classification, preparation, processing, conservation, packaging, storage, labelling, presentation and transport.

The official control also applies to all products and elements involved in the processes that form part of the chain: raw materials, ingredients, semi-finished or intermediate products and finished products, as well as the technological processes and manufacturing equipment; processing and treatment of food; storage and transport; and the labelling, presentation and advertising of food.

In addition to all this, the Regulatory Board is responsible for promoting and defending the protected product and its name. To this end, the Board is accredited by ENAC, the only accreditation body in Spain, with ISO 17065 for product certification and ISO 17020 for official inspection tasks.

What does the Cava Regulatory Board do?

Guide, supervise and monitor the production, elaboration and quality of the protected wines

Ensure the prestige of the Cava Designation of Origin

Promote Cava and increase its presence in international markets

Defend the name legally and institutionally

A brief history

The history of the Cava Regulatory Board dates back to 1959, when the first trade regulations for sparkling and aerated Spanish wines were established, in which Cava was mentioned for the first time.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Agriculture order of 23 April 1969 also regulated sparkling and aerated wines, and the word Cava was thus recognised as the proper designation for sparkling wines produced in Spain by the classic system of fermentation in the bottle and ageing in cellars. This definition served as the basis for designating the name of the product.

In 1972, a Ministerial Order was issued to set up the Regulatory Board for Sparkling Wines.

Spain's accession to the European Union in 1986 meant that wines with a D.O. were put on an equal footing with top-quality wines from other European countries. At the beginning of that same year, the Cava Region was established, which would define the wine’s production area.

Cava was protected by the European Union, which recognised it as a Quality Sparkling Wine Produced in a Specified Region, a geographical indication that guarantees the origin and quality of wines in the European Union.

Following the publication of the Order of 14 November 1991 by the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Regulations of the Cava Designation of Origin and the Regulatory Council were created.

Currently, and since the approval of Law 6/2015 of 12 May on Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications with a supra-autonomous territorial scope, the Regulatory Board is the management entity of the Cava Protected Designation of Origin, similar to a Public Law Corporation, with full capacity to implement its plans.

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Composition of the Cava Regulatory Board

This body is made up of a chairman, a vice-chairman, six representatives of the production sector, six representatives of the processing sector, one representative appointed by each of the Autonomous Communities of the Cava Region, one representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, one general secretary, one department of technical services and one department of communication.

Javier Pagés President D.O. CAVA

Javier Pagés has been the chairman of the Cava Denomination of Origin Regulatory Council since September 2018. During his long professional career, he has occupied a number of important positions, accumulating extensive experience as chief executive, board member, and chairman, as well as in the family business and in the international arena. Born in Barcelona, he graduated in Business Administration from ESADE, has an MBA from IESE, and an International Marketing Degree from Harvard Business School. Javier has four children and is a great lover of sport, as well as wine.

The CAVA Designation of Origin

The Regulatory Board, the guarantor of quality

A brief history

Composition of the Cava Regulatory Board

Javier Pagés President D.O. CAVA

The Wineries of the D.O. Cava