(…) the Cava Denomination of Origin, a qualification that determines the method of elaboration of a sparkling wine that carries out a second alcoholic fermentation in the same bottle in which it will later be marketed. At that time (early eighties), this product was going through a difficult journey. The ban on using the term “champagne” to refer to Spanish sparkling wines had led Catalan producers to adopt a new term to refer to their bubbly wines, the word “Cava”, and they took advantage of the confusion to appropriate the term, delimiting the territories covered by the Cava designation of origin within their domains.

Some areas of Spain that had witnessed the continuous production of “champagne” then began to take various actions to change the rules of the game. In Requena, the Torre Oria winery embarked on a long and complicated legal battle which led them to achieve a favourable ruling in 1982, allowing the entire municipality of Requena to be included in the list of territories covered by the DO Cava, making it the only municipality in the entire Valencia Region that can legally produce cava.

During the first few years, the bubble industry in Requena barely made any progress, and the volume of sales remained almost static. But since the arrival of the 21st century the Requena cava sector has multiplied its presence on the market exponentially, and when in 2004 the veto on Catalan cava spread throughout Spain (as a result of some unfortunate declarations by the Catalan politician Carod Rovira), the Requena cava producers were already prepared to conquer the market (although it is true that at times the consumption forecasts were exceeded).

In view of the, at times, excessive growth of the cava sector in Requena, a few years ago the Association of Cava Producers of Requena was formed, whose purpose was to unify criteria, ensure the quality of its sparkling wines and promote the cavas produced in Requena.

The Association of Cava Producers of Requena, chaired by Emilio Expósito (one of the owners of Dominio de la Vega and, at the time, responsible along with other members for Requena’s entry into the DO Cava) has become a young and dynamic group whose main objective is to promote the quality image of its cavas and to promote the origin of Requena as the cradle of Valencian cavas.

To produce their sparkling wines, the wineries follow the rules and guidelines set by the Regulatory Council, using grape varieties that are well established in the Requena area, such as the white Macabeo and Chardonnay and the red Garnacha and Pinot Noir.

Requena has positioned itself among the areas where the highest quality cavas are produced in Spain. The altitude above sea level, the specific microclimate, with Mediterranean connotations, and a high thermal contrast between day and night make this Valencian municipality a “paradise” for the cultivation of grapes for the production of cavas. For their part, the technicians and oenologists of the eight wineries apply the latest technological solutions to obtain sparkling wines that have won dozens of international prizes and awards over the last decade.

Currently, in the municipality of Requena (the only municipality in the Valencia Region admitted to the DO Cava), there are around four thousand hectares of vineyards in production for the manufacture of cavas, producing just over eight and a half million bottles.

But the potential is even greater, and after three and a half decades of that milestone that led to the inclusion of the municipality of Requena in the regulations of the DO Cava, the bubble sector continues to grow and generate wealth in a territory dominated by the grape landscape.