The Cava Regulatory Board announced today at Barcelona's Palau de la Musica the Single Estate Cava, a new premium category that will include all cavas made with grapes from exceptional estates due to their climate or geological features.
During the introduction event, conducted by the Spanish journalist Pepa Fernández, the chairman of the Cava Regulatory Board, Pedro Bonet, explained the requirements for the new category of cavas: they must be made with grapes from at least 10 years old, hand-harvested vineyards with a maximum output of 8,000 kg per hectare. Also, fermentation must be done at the estate with a maximum output of 48 hectolitre per hectare. A certification of the base wine must be made, with a minimum in-bottle fermentation of 36 months and complete traceability from the vine to the store's shelf.