DO/DOP Regulations
Regions
- Aragón, Euskadi (Basque Country), Catalunya, Extremadura, La Rioja, Navarra, València
Styles Produced
- Escumós / Espumoso (Blanc and Rosat)
Authorized Grapes
- Blanco:
- Recommended: Parellada, Macabeu, Xarel·lo
- Authorized: Chardonnay, Malvasía
- Tinto:
- Pinot Noir, Monastrell, Garnatxa Negre, Trepat (Trepat may only be used for rosé)
Minimum/Maximum Alcohol
- Base Wines: 9.5-11.5%
- Cava: 10.8-12.8%
Sweetness Levels
- Brut Nature: 0-3 g/l
- Extra Brut: 0-6 g/l
- Brut: 0-12 g/l
- Extra Dry (Extra Sec): 12-17 g/l
- Dry (Sec): 17-32 g/l
- Semi-Dry (Semi-Sec): 32-50 g/l
- Sweet (Dolç): 50+ g/l
Aging Requirements
- Cava: min. 9 months on the lees
- Reserva: min. 15 months on the lees
- Gran Reserva: min. 30 months on the lees (Brut, Extra Brut, and Brut Nature only)
- Cava de Paratge (Paraje): min. 36 months on the lees
Minimum/Maximum Planting Density
- 1,500/3,500 vines per hectare
Permitted Vine Training/Pruning Systems
- En Vas (Bush)
- En Espatllera (Trellis): Cordón (simple or double) or Vara i Polze (simple or double)
Maximum Yields
- Cava: 12 tons/ha, 100 liters/150 kg
- Cava de Paratge Qualificat (Paraje Calificado): 8.8 tons/ha
Cava de Paratge Qualificat (Paraje Calificado)
- Single-estate categories for hand-harvested wines.
- Vines must be a minimum 10 years old.
- Minimum 36-month tirage.
- Minimum TA is 5.5 g/l.
- No acidification
- Must be vintage-dated.
- May only be Brut, Extra Brut, or Brut Nature.
DO Established
- 1986 (last revised in 2016)
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