The D.O. CAVA’s commitment to sustainable development and integral production took centre stage at Barcelona Wine Week

Pedro Ballesteros MW, Ferran Centelles, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Fernando Mora MW endorsed the importance to the whole sector of the D.O. CAVA’s current strategic plan.

Barcelona, 5 April 2022 - Pedro Ballesteros MW, Ferran Centelles, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Fernando Mora MW were the keynote speakers, convened by the CAVA D.O. to discuss the future direction of sustainable development in the sector, at Barcelona Wine Week (BWW).

These world-renowned experts, together with Javier Pagés, president of the CAVA D.O., took part in one of the main events at the leading Spanish wine fair, Barcelona Wine Week (BWW) - the roundtable “CAVA 2.0: the era of sustainable development”, on 5 April[FW1] . The CAVA D.O. was delighted to participate in the second edition of BWW, whose main themes were sustainability, wine tourism, wine culture, digitalisation and innovation. The discussion, which was open to the public, took place at Speaker's Corner in Hall 8 of the Fira de Barcelona exhibition centre in Montjuïc.

The event served to highlight the ambitious process undertaken to implement the new Regulatory Board conditions that are now in force. Also notable was the 65.43% growth in shipments of the organic category last year, and its importance on the path towards 100% organic production in the Guarda Superior category from 2025. The D.O.’s commitment in this area was also pointed out, through its valuation of origin, supported by the new zoning and segmentation.

The invited experts, who had supported the new regulations from the early planning stages, revealed their opinions about this new label. They explained the international vision of CAVA, the quality Spanish sparkling wine made using the traditional method that has the highest global exports.

Indeed, Pedro Ballesteros emphasised that "CAVA is the only wine that has managed to be present in every country of the world. CAVA is a wine with history, and now that people are talking about its origin, they appreciate it much more, as they know its exact provenance, denominations, and narrative." For Javier Pagés, this is a special moment for CAVA: "The winemakers were waiting for this, because now they have the opportunity to show the world their personality and their way of making CAVAS. This new label is their hallmark."

Regarding the future of CAVA, Fernando Mora stressed that "the most delightful aspect of this Denomination of Origin is its organic spirit. This is everyone's responsibility, which is relatively easy if you do things correctly. Caring for the vineyard while looking after the environment is appealing to the public, and is, undoubtedly, a very powerful message to convey".

For her part, Sarah Jane Evans spoke about CAVA from a more international perspective, explaining that "It is a product that is recognised and endorsed by the public. Of course, there are other wines that are also popular, but CAVA has the opportunity to conquer the foreign markets, thanks to its history and all the changes it is making by its focus on origin, through the new regulations and the labels that are already on the market".

Tuesday 5 April also saw the official presentation of the new guarantee and quality seals on CAVA bottles, and their educational content to better inform consumers. The new seals will incorporate the origin, category, aging and a QR code of CAVA D.O. products, so that consumers who want to know more can easily access additional information about the product, as well as suggestions for suitable pairings and recipes.

Another star label of the new regulations, the Integral Producer label, was also presented at BWW. This one distinguishes those wineries that carry out the pressing and vinification of the entire cuvée on their own property, for their own production. This label highlights the value of the winemaking process carried out from start to finish by the same winery. The presentation of this new distinction was attended by representatives of the 13 wineries that can display it on their bottles: Agustí Torelló Mata, Alta Alella, Cava Avinyó, Can Sala, Can Suriol, Celler Carles Andreu, Cava Gatell, Giró del Gorner, Juvé & Camps, Parató, Parés Baltà, Félix Torné Caldu and Vins el Cep.

Javier Pagés pointed out that the new D.O. CAVA regulations "are a project born out of the desire for improvement that the sector has always shown. Approved unanimously by its stakeholders and based on rigour, guarantee and transparency for the consumer, the new regulations aim to show the world the unique quality, diversity and versatility of CAVA".

The second important event was an unparalleled tasting led by the specialist journalist and sommelier Ramon Francàs. This was one of Alimentaria Exhibitions' star attractions for this second edition of BWW, featuring seven exclusive long-aged CAVAS. The tasting, which was sold out almost a month before the fair began, was attended by prestigious prescriptors, sommeliers, press and international buyers. All of them were able to try out and savour products that are still available on the market, in a journey that took the attendees through CAVAS from 10 to 20 years of aging, mostly of limited production. Agustí Torelló Mata, Albert de Vilarnau, Alta Alella, Codorníu, Familia Ferrer, Juvé & Camps and Mestres were the wineries selected for this exceptional event. The tasting aimed to showcase the impressive diversity and excellence of CAVA. The event was unforgettable, the most exclusive to date.


According to Ramon Francàs, who was accompanied by representatives of the seven selected wineries, "the objective was to show that in the CAVA D.O. there are world-class products are just as good as the most famous on the planet". He added that "the tasting was designed to demonstrate that CAVA is capable of defying the long aging process with great nobility. At the same time, it emphasised the considerable gastronomic and stylistic versatility of the products protected by the D.O. CAVA".