Image courtesy Mahala Wine

The CAVA D.O. has invited some of the world’s opinion-leaders to Barcelona to take part in the Cava Meeting forum, which will be held at Barcelona’s Espai de Transformació Creativa Casa Rius on 27-28 November, and will combine tastings of Cavas, presentations, and visits to leading wineries.

It is billed as an “examination of the excellence of Cava”. A committee of specialists including Master of Wine Sarah Jane Evans and Pedro Ballesteros, the sommelier Ferran Centelles, and the journalist, sommelier and Cava trainer Ramon Francàs, have been working on its design and organisation for months. Around a hundred guests are expected from different markets such as Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland, as well as Spain.

The talks and tastings will be led by Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros, who will introduce the attendees to the world of Integral Winemakers’ Cavas, with the aim of communicating their values. Selected products from Agustí Torelló Mata, Alta Alella, Cava Avinyó, Blancher, Bodegas Escudero, Can Suriol, Celler Carles Andreu, Cava Gatell, Giró del Gorner, Juvé & Camps, Parató Vinícola, Parés Baltà, Torné & Bel, Vins el Cep and Vins Familia Ferrer (Can Sala) will be sparkling in the glasses.

Following the tasting, Josep Roca, sommelier and maître d´ of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, will present a menu designed to harmonise with Cava, with the aim of exemplifying the gastronomic versatility of Spain’s most exported wine.

After the presentation by the sommelier from Girona, “the magic of the most iconic” will be tasted. Sommelier Jordi Paronella Vidal and sommelier and journalist Ramon Francàs Martorell will introduce the Cavas de Paraje Calificado, those with very long ageing and those that go into a further dimension: the third crianza. This luxury tasting will include Cavas from Alta Alella, Blancher, Codorníu, Juvé & Camps, Mestres, Pere Ventura, Vins el Cep and Vins Família Ferrer (Can Sala).

On the opening day there will also be a roundtable with international media, where the importance of Cava in the national and international media will be analysed. This will be moderated by Yolanda Ortiz de Arri and will include the participation of Master of Wine Sarah Jane Evans, co-president of the Decanter World Wine Awards; Amaya Cervera, from El País Semanal and Spanish Wine Lover; Jamie Goode, columnist for Sunday Express; Doug Frost, one of only three people in the world who simultaneously hold the titles of Master of Wine and Master Sommelier, a reference in the US wine sector; and the gastronomic influencer and ambassador for D.O. CAVA, Rafael Antonín.

On Monday 27th, the last event will be an exclusive show room of Cavas de Guarda Superior.

The sessions on Tuesday 28 November will begin with a roundtable discussion on how to generate greater value in the Cava business. The internationalisation of Cava, and how to build or add value to the Cava brand worldwide, will be debated in a talk moderated by Sarah Jane Evans MW and with the participation of Pedro Ferrer, vice-president and CEO of the Freixenet Group; Meritxell Juvé, CEO and 4th generation of Juvé & Camps; Jaume Vial, commercial director of Mestres; Marc Morillas, specialist in design and brand building; and Juan Manuel Bellver, director of Lavinia Spain.

This will be followed by another presentation moderated by sommelier Ferran Centelles, in which Carme Ruscalleda, Jordi Paronella, Nieves Barragán, and Agustín Trapero will talk about Cava and gastronomy. After this, a presentation on the scientific challenges facing Cava will include an analysis of 21st-century viticulture and future advanced systems of grape-growing and harvesting in the face of climate change by Marco Simonit, from the Simonit & Sirch pruning method. The role of lees and cork stoppers will also be discussed by oenologist, researcher, and professor at the Faculty of Oenology at the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona, Joan Miquel Canals.

On Tuesday 28th, the Cava Meeting will also delve into tasting the different origins of Cava, reviewing the diversity and characteristics of the zoning of the D.O. CAVA through various Cavas representative of the different production areas. The speakers will be Pedro Ballesteros MW, Ferran Centelles, and Pepe Hidalgo, technical director of Bodegas Vicente Gandía. Ferran Centelles, accompanied by Julie Dupouy, Quim Limonero and Guilherme Mantovani, will discuss how to serve a Cava “comme il faut’.

The Cava Meeting will finish with visits to 25 wineries, giving attendees the chance to discover part of the Cava region.

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