Javier Pagés: "Eliminating the Cava DO is suicide"

BarcelonaThe words of the founder of the Peñín Guide of wines, José Peñín, recently expressed in a interview with the newspaper ARA have not been liked in the Cava Designation of Origin (DO). Peñín and talk about the crisis of that sparkling wine.

Have you spoken to José Peñín?

— The truth is, no. We don't have any relationship with him because he's retired, but what he said surprised us and struck us as very serious.

If you had the opportunity to do so, what would you tell him?

— I don't understand what he said. When a person has benefited from the prestige and support of cava and wineries, which has also brought him notoriety and given him very high ratings many times, it's quite shocking that he would even say those words. It's very irresponsible.

Are you wrong?

— Of course. If we want to destroy all the designations of origin, we can do so, but the Cava DO is a successful designation. It's the number one wine exporter and the second largest in Spain. Behind this are 37,000 hectares, 6,000 winegrowers, 300 wineries, an entire territory, a history, a culture, a way of doing things, a landscape—it's the rootedness of a land. Obviously, it can't be eliminated, it shouldn't be. This is suicidal.

Has the origin of cava become blurred, as Peñín argues?

— No, cava isn't a method; it's a DO, and it has all the characteristics of a DO. It has a well-established territory, vineyards, winegrowers, control, traceability, sustainability, segmentation, and it's dynamic. Is cava the same as a sparkling wine from Andalusia? No, of course they're not.

Peñín defines the Corpinnat as "the great crude oil of Spanish sparkling wines."

There are many people who tend to criticize cava for taking advantage of themselves. These wineries didn't produce much cava and have benefited from it, which is why Mr. Peñín is once again being irresponsible. A sparkling wine is constantly talking about cava to gain notoriety when it has no controls; it's not a DO but merely a collective brand... because cava has independent controls, not individual ones, that range from the EU to the ministry.

What is the health of cava and its DO?

— The Cava DO has a history, prestige, and overwhelming numbers. It reaches 150 markets. It's healthy, and sparkling wine is rising in global wine consumption. Changes are necessary, but this is normal for a group of 300 wineries.

Does cava have a reputation problem?

— In Catalonia, yes. Cava's exceptional character and deep roots aren't always appreciated. Seventy-five percent of Catalan wine is cava. It's brutal. It seems like a group of 15 wineries, which isn't a DO, is the same as any other winery, and every time sparkling wines in Catalonia are mentioned, they're given the same or even more attention. This worries me, but fortunately, it doesn't happen outside of Catalonia.

In recent years, there has been a trickle of wineries leaving the DO to join Corpinnat, Clàssic Penedès, or go it alone. Why are they leaving?

— They may have many reasons. One is because they believe they aren't achieving their business goals of selling more within the DO. Another is because it's a fad. There are companies that want to work outside the DO to do exactly what they want without anyone's control. I think everyone should be committed to the territory and create added value with what we have.

It's common to feel that there's a lack of unity among the sparkling wines produced in Catalonia.

— I firmly believe in the Cava DO. There's no comparison to everything it's achieved, and I can't fathom not valuing success. Cava is amazing, and anyone who wants to join, the door is open. Cava has it all, but there are people who want to fight from the outside, with other groups or criticizing, saying that cava isn't Catalan. I don't agree; cava is Catalan through and through. Who has more vineyards than cava? Who makes more Catalan wine than cava? Cava represents much more of a Catalan homeland than any other.

Cavas are available in supermarkets for €3.20. Should cavas be forced to resign themselves to being sold at such a low price?

— Raising prices is difficult and doesn't happen overnight. The 20 million bottles of Guarda Superior cava sold annually are around €20. It's a small category within cava, but huge if we look at any other DO: producing 20 million expensive bottles is very difficult. The average price of all cava is constantly rising. I'd like the lowest price to continue to rise, and it is, and I'd like it to not exist, because it sometimes doesn't help us understand the great quality of cava.

Cava has been reflected in champagne, but who is more competitive: champagne or prosecco?

— Cava is committed to quality. Prosecco has a different identity, with a shorter and easier method, and look at Champagne because it does the same thing, but Cava isn't Champagne. Cava should be much closer to the Mediterranean genius than to the classicism of Champagne's luxury.

How is the grape harvest expected?

— So far, so good. Nothing like last year, but June has been persistently hot and rainless again. We could use a bit of rain and a bit less heat.

Unions expect grape prices to decline after rising prices due to the drought.

— A good price is one at which the winegrower can earn a good living, and so can the winery. Last year's price rose sharply: the industry was talking about €0.80 per kilo. It's unlikely we'll ever reach last year's prices, but that doesn't mean it's not a good price at which the farmer can earn a good living. I hope so.

Codorníu is back on sale. How do you see this move?

— With total respect for a company that is so important to the sector. I hope the group that comes to Codorníu is a wine and land lover, and a responsible group. One of those groups that contributes to the DO and doesn't take on the fight on its own.

About himFreixenet's ERE, which will result in 154 layoffs, the unions doubt that it has anything to do with the drought and link it to the desire to expand production outside the DO.

— If the company believes that some of its ranges are better off outside the DO, that's their decision. What makes me less concerned is that the ranges that have left the DO are the most affordable.

Two iconic cava companies are in the hands of foreign companies: Codorníu, for now, is owned by the American fund Carlyle and Freixenet by the German HenkellHow did the cava make its mark?

— Cava has made significant progress in recent years in sustainability, traceability, and qualitative discourse. This has been achieved even though these two companies are owned by non-local groups. Cava has proven it can move forward independently of shareholders.

Should the DO protect 0.0 cavas?

— For the time being, a cava can't be 0.0% because we'd have to go to the EU and change the traditional method. Previously, people questioned whether they retain all the organoleptic characteristics of wine, but there's been significant technological progress, and we'll have to keep looking. Perhaps it's not 0.0%, and lowering the alcohol content could also be interesting.

How do you personally imagine the future of the DO Cava?

— With what we have, it can only be a bright and growing future, not in terms of bottles, but rather in terms of appreciation and prestige. Over the years, there has been an impressive qualitative leap forward for cava, and I hope it continues, because people are looking for quality sparkling wine.