Signs of a confidence crisis among Cava producers are growing after leading sparkling winemaker Raventos i Blanc announced it will leave the appellation.
Raventos’ manager, Pepe Raventos, this week announced plans to adopt a new and un-certified regional appellation designation, named ‘Conca Del Riu Anoia’, after the end of this month.
‘We want to recover the Conca del Riu Anoia, the name of a small geographical area, to help us to better understand and convey our viticultural traditions, the strength of our land and the characteristics of our soils, ‘ he said.
Albet I Noya, current president of the Regulatory Council of Penedes, told Decanter.com that the decision by Raventos indicated a growing crisis of confidence amongst Cava producers in the region.
‘Since last week, nine producers have asked to leave the Cava DO. I also understand that six more wineries – some of which are key producers – are planing to leave the appellation in the future, but unfortunately I am not authorised to give out their names at the moment.’
He said that many wineries across Penedes had decided to focus on building individual sparkling wine brands, as Cava’s global brand image was primarily associated with cheap, low-quality wine.
In order to combat the growing crisis, Albet has advised making significant changes to the appellation rules, including increasing the minimal time the wine is in contact with the lees from 12 to 15 months.
‘We need to emphasise that Cava is a high quality, unique product,’ Albet said.
Written by James Lawrence
