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Javier Pagés unanimously re-elected as Cava DO president

02 August 2022 By Louis Thomas

The 12 members of the Regulatory Council were in complete accord at the meeting in Vilafranca del Penedès last week, endorsing Pagés’ continuation in the role of president.

More than 70% of Spain’s wine exports come from Cava, with the region reporting sales growth of 17.3% in 2021. The board represents more than 68,000 winegrowers and 370 associated wineries. Adrià Rabadà, the spokesperson for the base wine wineries, has been elected as vice-president.

Upon his re-election, Pagés, who has been president since 2018, said: “Unity is fundamental at such decisive times for the future of the sector. With it, the sector can achieve all the challenges we have set for ourselves and be a leading global designation of origin for some of the world’s highest quality sparkling wines.”

One of Pagés’ pledges has been to develop new segmentation for the DO in order to better represent the “excellence and quality” of Cava. Cavas de Guarda Superior, a category devised last year containing Reserva, Gran Reserva and Paraje Calificado, has been highlighted as a means of emphasising the singularity of territories and vineyards.

This tier system comprises an effort to premiumise Cava and encourage consumers to ‘trade-up’. db published a fuller piece on the issue here. The aim is to have 100% of Cavas de Guarda Superior produced organically by 2025.

Sustainability is also on the agenda, as are efforts to communicate the traceability and quality certification of the wines of the DO. Pagés stated: “We want to continue with the work we have started to enhance Cava’s value…”

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