Vilafranca del Penedès, Wednesday 25 January 2023.- The D.O. CAVA has presented a programme of top-level activities as part of the third edition of the Barcelona Wine Week (BWW, 6 – 8 February). The opening session will feature Cavas with Integral Producer certification in a high-level tasting led by Roberto Durán, head sommelier of the private club for wine-lovers, Pall Mall 67 in Singapore, and Pedro Ballesteros Master of Wine. This event will take place at 12 noon on 6 February in the Sala Príncipe at the Montjuïc exhibition centre. The president of the D.O. CAVA, Javier Pagés, stated that: “In line with the central technical concept of the BWW 2023, ‘Spain, a unique mosaic of soils’, the aim is to highlight the value of the Integral Producer label, emphasising the importance of terroir and the winemaking process that is carried out by the same winery from start to finish.”
The aim is to distinguish those wineries that carry out the pressing and vinification of 100% of the base wine on their own property, for their own production.
A Cava in the Guarda Superior category from each of the 14 certified producers will be presented, emphasising the importance of this seal’s concept. Roberto Durán and Pedro Ballesteros have set the objectives of this select tasting as being "to increase the prestige of the CAVA D.O. and to present, with the excellence of Cavas de Guarda Superior, the progression in quality, as well as the relationship between the concept of integral production and the maximum guarantee of highest standards for the consumer". They will focus on "a distinct and attractive narrative" that will facilitate: "Getting to know the work of the Integral Winemakers, emphasising the advantages of the traceability of the grapes’ origin, the potential of Cava to evolve with long ageing, the identity of the different varieties, and the differentiation of the zones and sub-zones of the D.O. Cava."
In addition, a high-level, four-handed tasting will fuse the particularity of Japanese cuisine with the extraordinary gastronomic versatility of Cava. A unique experience will be created by one of the most important emerging chefs on the Spanish and international scene today, David Arauz, together with his sommelier, Álvaro Prieto, known for his vision and highly gastronomic concept of wine. The aim is to highlight this versatility paired with the haute cuisine of Zuara Sushi restaurant, one of Madrid's most in-vogue Japanese restaurant bars, which recently won its first Michelin star just seven months after opening.
Alongside other such revelations about the gastronomic scene in Spain, the experience aims to transmit the essence of Japan by recovering ancestral cooking techniques. Zuara Sushi will offer a gastronomic experience based on the Omakase concept ("let yourself be seduced by the itamae [chef]" or "put yourself in the chef’s hands"), which is hugely popular in Japan currently, and also the height of fashion in other cities such as New York, London and Paris. Up to five Cavas will be matched with five exquisite dishes served at the chef's discretion. This Omakase and Cava tasting will take place at 10.30am on Tuesday 7 February in the Tasting Area of the show. The aim of this second activity, according to its creators, is to "demonstrate the gastronomic potential of high-quality Cavas". Both activities will be by invitation only and places will be limited.
Those attending the fair, which brings together the largest offering of winemakers in the country, will have the chance to visit a total of 37 producers who will be located in the CAVA D.O. area, which will also have an information stand (E 224 in Pavilion 8).
In addition to the activities that will take place within the framework of the BWW fair, the CAVA designation, in collaboration with ICEX Spain Export and Investment, will participate in a reverse mission to Spain programme on 9 and 10 February. This trip will be organised so that professionals and specialised opinion leaders from the wine and food sectors can learn first-hand about the qualities of Cava directly from its origins. In this way, according to the president of the D.O. CAVA, "Our visitors can learn how the latest innovations resulting from our historic commitment to quality have been implemented in different international markets such as the USA, the United Kingdom, Japan and Poland".