Too often known as just a value sparkling wine, Cava makes some of the world’s finest traditional-method sparkling wines. Ones that Javier Pagés, President of D.O. Cava, would like to see drunk on more occasions, especially with food. Javier gives us an overview of the Cava region, how it builds brand ambassadors across the globe, and how “Cava elevates every meal” on this episode of XChateau. Detailed show notes: Javier’s backgroundStarted as a wine salesperson, including in the US (both East Coast and San Francisco) with importers, distributors (e.g., Southern Glazers)Was a sales director and then CEO of a Cava company (Codorniu)CavaD.O. specialized in 1 thing - sparkling wine in the traditional methodCava is named for the underground cellars where the wine is agedVarietals used - Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada, Chardonnay, & Pinot Noir; Trepat and Grenache for red varieties for rose4 main regions for CavaCatalunya - the main region, has 4 sub-regionsValencia / Levante - Eastern SpainExtremadura - Southwest SpainEbro River Valley2 Cava quality levelsCava de Guarda - aged for at least 9 months on leesCava de Guarda Superior - aged for more than 18 months on leesAllowed to use sub-appellation namesIncludes Reserva, Gran Reserva, and Paraje Calificado levelsCava is the most exported wine in Spain70% in 2020, up from 60% previouslyIncrease due to pandemic (on-premise and tourism down dramatically in Spain in 2020)Top markets:Europe - top 3 = Belgium, UK, Germany; other important markets = Netherlands, Nordics, France, Russia, SwitzerlandGermany - very price sensitiveUK - very competitive due to grocery stores, independent retailers allow for some more expensive CavasNorth America - US (4th major market, ~20M bottles imported), Canada (11th biggest market)Asia - Japan a major market, China hasn’t fallen in love with sparkling wines yet; S Korea, Taiwan, Hong KongLatin America - Brazil is a major marketAustralia - #22 market and growingA major challenge for Cava - making it better known and agreed that Cava is a quality sparkling wine vs. only a value wineTrying to increase consumer occasions for consuming Cava - current push is for more food pairing - “Cava elevates every meal” website mentions pairing with Mexican foodD.O. Cava’s mission - to add value to all membersAdapt the region to today’s consumersDifferent products for different consumers and different momentsCertify and track that what’s on the label is true, provide traceabilityConducts consumer studies - measure the health of the Cava brand, understand consumer desiresD.O. Cava’s membersMade up of production side (vineyard people, growers) and wineries12 person board - 6 from vineyards, 6 from wineriesMembers pay a fee to D.O. based on hectares of vineyards or bottles soldMembership is optionalMarketing Cava to different audiencesJournalists - important to bring them to where the action is, want to know everything - the process, story, etc.…Trade - more about educating them so they can sell the wine - webinars, wine academy courseConsumers - more impulsive, emotional connections, giving them experiences and sharing the wine through events and visiting the wineriesMost successful marketing campaign - Wine Cava AcademyCreates wine ambassadors for CavaContains different modules - production, regions, tasting profiles, wine pairings, etc.…Use well-known professionals (e.g., MWs, journalists) to teach coursesGet a certificate at the end of the courseUS marketing campaign - 360 Degrees of CavaA multi-pronged marketing campaign where the elements support each otherEducational elements for consumers - masterclasses, tastingsPressSocial mediaTactical advertising Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.