Sustainability

Finding a way to produce Cava with the lowest possible impact on the environment is a major concern for many wineries of the D.O. (Designation of Origin) Cava.

Due to its geographical location, the D.O. Cava offers favourable conditions for the implementation of organic viticulture. Together with the clear vocation towards sustainability of many of its wineries, this has led to a commitment to organic products and production, as well as important advances in the field of research.

In order to demonstrate their continuing progress along the path of sustainability and respect for the environment, the winemakers have implemented some measures:

• Reduced dosage, and less use, of chemical treatments in the vineyard.
• Conservation and development of the terroirs, biodiversity and landscapes.
• Responsible water management.
• Measuring and reducing the footprint of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, which affect global warming.
• The use of recyclable and compostable materials, both for bottles and packaging (recycled paper, non-polluting inks, plastics of vegetable origin, etc)

Spain is the European leader by area of certified organic vineyards, with almost 110,000 hectares registered in the D.O. Cava. Organic agriculture certification is not only important for producers when selling their Cavas, but also for consumers, who can make their choice based on this certificate.

The European Union's organic certification guarantees that no chemicals have been used in the vineyard for the past three years or more, through documentary checks of the process and regular on-site inspections by the administration.

In addition to this, the Catalan Council for Organic Agricultural Production (CCPAE), under the tutelage of the Catalan administration, also grants its own certification to organic plant-based products grown without chemically-synthesised fertilisers or pesticides (fungicides, insecticides or herbicides).

For example, organic herbicides can be used, such as pheromones used for pest control. These function by imitating the substances secreted by the insects themselves to warn of danger or to attract the opposite sex.

Other measures such as green harvest (removing selected bunches of grapes before they ripen, in order to aerate, prevent disease, and enhance the concentration and character of the remaining fruit) are also used in the Parés Baltà vineyard. At this winery, no artificial irrigation system is used, only natural rainfall; they have recovered a 100-year-old terraced plot, and are promoting biodiversity with a habitat that is favourable for rabbits, foxes and even wild boar.

All these efforts together can be called certified organic agriculture, which incorporates guaranteed crop rotation, the use of green fertilisers, and seeds selected according to their resistance to pests or their adaptability to different types of soil and terrain. Other practices include using compost preparations for organic fertilisers.

One biodynamic certification organisation is Demeter, an international body set up in 1924 based on the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. Its certificate guarantees the application of strict biodynamic agricultural principles by the producer, including authorised natural soil and compost preparations containing healing plants and minerals. This system ensures that agriculture is based on a sustainable, holistic approach, using the astrological calendar, from soil management and planting through to processing.

Pinord is the first winery in Spain to have its wine, including Cava, issued with an international certificate of biodynamic farming by Demeter. Under this scheme, the estate is considered as a single integrated organism in which plants, animals and humans live together harmoniously. From this holistic perspective, the focus is on enhancing and supporting the forces of nature, and observing the cycles of the moon and other celestial bodies in plant production and animal husbandry.

Vins el Cep is another of the Cava wineries that works actively to encourage sustainability in the vineyard. Working with its neighbouring winemakers, this winery has created Plant Defence Groups (ADVs), non-profit organisations that bring together local producers to collaborate with the Administration, with the aim of collectively limiting compounds that are harmful to life in the vineyard.

These growers have agreed to reduce the use of phytosanitary products; to promote the importance of methods alternative to chemical control in the vineyard; and to hire technical personnel to advise them on pest management.

In addition to replacing the incandescent light bulbs with LEDs, the winery has installed a biological purification plant that collects water from the environment, and cleans and prepares it for irrigation. In terms of packaging, sustainable materials are used and as little waste as possible is generated.

Alta Alella, one of Cava's leading winemakers in terms of sustainability, has constructed a new separate winery, Celler de les Aus, to produce natural wines on its own land. Working with architect Alfons Soldevila, Alta Alella has used architecture to help achieve its goals of sustainability and respect for the environment.

Based on a philosophy of eco-design and organic architecture, Soldevila highlighted shade and silence as the main elements of the new winery: Celler de les Aus is located in a valley in the Maresme area which, unusually, has no roads.

In order to construct the winery, a cutting in the mountain was made, and the natural sandstone used as part of the construction, with a 30-40% slope, removing the need for retaining walls. Waste was kept to a minimum during building work

Six shipping containers, recycled from the Port of Barcelona, were installed on the site, draped with mesh which will eventually be covered with vine leaves, thereby blending in with the landscape. The entire winery is transportable and, if it was moved to another place in the future, the land would exactly remain as before: the ultimate in low ecological footprint.