Pere Ventura: “Corpinnado should be included in the Cava DO as a premium sparkling wine”

Subirats and Sant Sadurní de AnoiaCava producer Pere Ventura, a member of the Cava Regulatory Board and the Cava Institute, argues that "Corpinnat should be included in the Cava Designation of Origin within the premium sparkling wine category," which would also include other producers who share the same philosophy: long-aged grapes, aged for a minimum of eighteen months. "I'm aware that the Cava DO stems from an initial mistake, which was absorbing territories that weren't part of the Penedès region, but since we can't go back now, we can categorize the brand," says Ventura at his winery in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, which he built in 1991 with his wife, Mireia Juvé. "I support the Cava DO; I want to give it value," Ventura points out, adding that consumers would also find it easier if they could read on the labels that the cava they buy was made in the Penedès region, or in Requena (Valencian Community), or Almendralejo (Extremadura). And apart from knowing where that cava was made, I would have more information; I would know if I'm buying a premium category or a basic one.

This past summer, the Cava DO (Designation of Origin) conducted a survey among producers located in the Penedès region to ask if they would agree to include the name of the territory, Penedès, on their cava labels. For some, the survey is overdue, and It seems to be due to the latest movements in the territory, with wineries leaving the Cava DO to join Corpinnat."We don't yet know the results of the survey; I can't say what they said," comments Pere Ventura, who defends the theory of integrating both the Corpinnat producers and also Pepe Raventós in the DO Cava because it is the way to defend the territory"I share the reasons why Corpinnat and Pepe Raventós himself left the Cava DO, I share them, but I don't agree with the way they did it," says Ventura, who explains how he makes his own cavas in the same way as Corpinnat.

Peace in the Penedès

For Pere Ventura, working towards a common cause also means "putting an end to disputes and achieving social sustainability." In fact, he himself reveals that this is the discourse he uses to refer to the Cava Regulatory Board. He goes on to address what the Cava DO has done so far. "I'm aware that the categories we've established for Cavas aren't helpful, because the public doesn't understand them: they don't understand what 'guarda,' 'guarda superior,' 'paraje,' or 'embador integral' mean." Pere Ventura is aware of this, but what he wants is "peace" in the Penedès region, because he, Corpinnat, and Pepe Raventós "are very intelligent," and together they can be a unified force to defend the territory. Of course, Ventura continues, "we all have to give something up so that the force is unified." To continue, when the winemaker thinks about the name that should be used to unite all current sparkling wine producers, he says that "we would have to create one." Furthermore, he says, "I would leave the name open, one that we should all agree on." In fact, he believes Corpinnat would benefit because "they are not a designation of origin, and therefore do not receive subsidies; for them, it would be advantageous to join the Cava DO." Once they have decided on the name, Pere Ventura would address the issue of the price to be paid per kilo of grapes: "There has to be a regulated price, a minimum of 0.60 euros," because the winegrower is a fundamental element that must be taken care of. In fact, Pere Ventura states that they themselves pay 1.30 euros per kilo of grapes.

All of this, this social "peace" among the sparkling wine producers in the Penedès, aims "to think about future generations." In Pere Ventura's own case, one of his four children, the second son, Pere Ventura, joined his parents last spring. "Those of us currently in charge must lead the way in uniting to generate hope in the region, so that future generations have it easier." She goes on to explain that this is also necessary "to prevent any other winery from leaving the DO Cava brand; right now, we have some who think they aren't the same as those from Requena, and so they're considering leaving the DO Cava."

Finally, the Pere Ventura winery releases two and a half million bottles to the market each year. It dedicates 93% of its production to exports, and in 2026, they are facing new projects, as Mireia Juvé explains, even envisioning 2026 as a new era: "On the one hand, we will undertake a new packaging"Based on the initial logo, the checkerboard pattern that identifies us; on the other hand, we will launch a new product, the Gran Vintage Rosé." Juvé recalls that in 2011 the brand acquired the Can Bas estate, located in Subirats, where they produce still wines under the same name. It is a majestic estate, with eighty-three hectares of vineyards, which even includes one in Salerno.

Among the historical chapters of the great Pere Ventura brand within the Cava DO is the fact that the great-grandfather, Manuel Montserrat, had worked at Codorníu, where he was in charge of production. "We know that the owner, Manel Raventós, and Pere's great-grandfather, Manuel Montserrat, were also Pere's great-grandfather," concludes Mireia Juvé.

Second edition of the Cava Meeting

The second edition of CavsFins will bring together sixty-five wineries on Monday, November 10, in the Penedès region, for the second edition of the Cava Meeting, a congress that aims to focus on internationalization and superior aging cavas.