Cava Week program / the mood of the Cava world

Last night, the cava promotional organization the Confraria del Cava released the program of Cava Week (Setmana del Cava: Oct 7 to 15) and the new poster by leading designer Xavier Mariscal. The presentation provided clues to the mood of Cava producers going into the all-important year-end season.

In general, the mood is of cautious optimism following the cava boycott of a year ago in parts of Spain. In all sales of cava in Spain declined 7%, while exports rose. The Catalan Government's Counselor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing, Jordi William Carnes i Ayat, said that the boycott can have the positive effect of raising awareness of cava by its having been talked about so much.

The presentation included calls for more international promotion of cava and promotion of drinking it not only at year-end and that the cava producers should all be working together to build markets - an oblique reference to the end of the Cava War between Freixenet and Codorniu, the two major cava houses that produce roughly two-thirds of all cava.

This year's Cava Week event will overlap and continue on after the open air tasting event Cavatast, Oct. 6 to 8. and will feature the parties and competitions, the crowning of the Queen of Cava, plus a conference on the effects of global warming on viticulture and enology.