DO Cava has announced that it is prepared to contest the creation of a new denomination of origin that covers sparkling wines from the Penedès. The president of the DO Cava regrets that the creation of this DO is being negotiated between the associates of the European collective brand Associació d’Elaboradors i Viticultors Corpinnat and those of Clàssic Penedès, the latter now framed under the protection of the DO Penedès.
Javier Pagés, in charge of DO Cava, has once again extended his hand in favor of unity in the sector, and understands that all producers have a place within the DO Cava and more, if possible, after the approval of their new and demanding regulations, which have raised the quality criteria with the new segmentation, recognizing realities such as that of whole-grain processors and opening the door to a singularization of the various territorial realities. He also affirms that the new DO for sparkling wines from Penedès, which he considers would be detrimental to the interests of the DO Cava, “is not singular”.
Pagés, who also laments the mediation of the Generalitat de Catalunya in the negotiations to create the new DO and the fact of having learned about them through the press, adds that “there is no reason that justifies the creation of a new denomination by a few wineries where there is already a DO, in the same territory and using the same production method”. He understands that “it does not fit into European legislation” and that, if it is granted, it will be “by decree law”. For all these reasons, he has announced his “frontal opposition” to the creation of this new DO, and has said that it is an issue on which there should be “little joke”.
The president of Corpinnat, Ton Mata, stated that “we are willing to sit at the table with everyone to create a powerful and common project”. And he has assured questions from La Vanguardia that “they have asked us for discretion, and we cannot advance anything.” However, they continue to put the red line as the main line, and there they see the great difficulty of closing an agreement with the representatives of Clàssic Penedès, not giving up 100% winemaking on the property. Corpinnat currently houses 11 wineries, Clàssic Penedès 17 and DO Cava 350 (206 producers and 144 base wines).
