Cava

Spanish · Spanish PDO for traditional-method sparkling wine

Cava is the Spanish PDO for quality sparkling wine made by the traditional method, with at least 9 months on lees in the same bottle and at least 3.5 bar at 20 °C.1

The Cava DO was consolidated in early 1986 and recognised at EU level in 1989.3 Its regulator, the Consejo Regulador, reports 190,010,000 bottles sold in 2025.2 Ageing categories run from Cava de Guarda to Guarda Superior, which includes Reserva, Gran Reserva and Paraje Calificado.4 Spanish sweetness terms such as extra seco and semi seco are used on its labels.4 A rosé base needs at least 25% red grapes.3 See Cava.

See also

CavaRegionsTraditional methodMethodsCava de GuardaGlossarySpainRegions

Sources

  1. Consejo Regulador DO Cava. Pliego de condiciones DOP Cava
  2. Consejo Regulador DO Cava. Resumen datos económicos 2025 DO Cava (2026)
  3. Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA). Pliego de condiciones DOP Cava
  4. Consejo Regulador DO Cava. Categories and types

Facts checked on 2026-10-19