Source — Harpers UK
The Regulatory Council of the Cava DO has approved placing temporary limits on production for the second year in a row to help rebalance the market.
For the next harvest, growers have been authorised to harvest 11,000 kilos of grapes per hectare throughout the Cava region, with the total figure 1,000 kilos more than in last year’s campaign.
The decision was adopted by a majority of the 12 members who make up the full Council.
The purpose of the measure was to make progress in correcting the surplus in the sector caused by Covid-19 and the excess number of hectares planted in the DO, said Javier Pagés, president of the Council.
The circumstances needed to restore the 12,000 kilos per hectare were “not present yet”, he said.
Pagés also made a new appeal to the unity and the responsibility of all the agents in the sector to achieve a “self-regulated market”, highlighting the goal to lay the foundations for restoring the prices paid for grapes.
The Council said Pagés wanted to “expressly defend the winegrowers”, and was convinced that fair production prices had to be paid to ensure the sustainability of the sector.
Accordingly, “the entire value chain of the DO, and every public authority, must act responsibly to guarantee its orderly and sustainable growth”, said Pagés.
With over 70% of international sales, Cava claims to be the Spanish DO with the most exports. Its 6,800+ winegrowers manage over 38,000 hectares of vineyards. with its 370 member wineries present in more than 100 countries.
In March, Cava DO launched its latest campaign aimed at elevating the ‘quality perception’ of the Spanish bubbles.