The Cava Academy will be a meeting point for international training professionals to dive deeper into the history and personalities behind a glass of Cava
Jun 18th – Sonoma, Calif.—Open to wine professionals all over the world, the Cava Academy aims to make its training available to everyone through comprehensive lessons led by renowned names including Pedro Ballesteros MW and Ferran Centelles, as well as the innovative Basque Culinary Center. The initiative emerged in response to the high level of interest noted by the Cava Regulatory Board, and speaks to enquiries made by wine enthusiasts interested in broadening their knowledge of Cava.
This exclusive educational project came about following the success of several in-person sessions given in the United States, United Kingdom and Belgium. The new Academy, available in three languages (Spanish, Catalan and English), is a more accessible training tool designed to train professionals across various sectors of the industry—sales, distribution, wine tourism, and others.
It is the first training course created exclusively for the D.O. Cava (Regulatory Board of Cava). Throughout the course, participants will become experts in all things related to the quality Spanish sparkling wine: ranging from viticulture and the production of Cava to its classification and quality guarantees, as well as tasting and food pairings.
The curriculum offers audio-visual content, videos and interactive tests that make the learning process enjoyable, intuitive and adaptable to the pace of each student. Tastings will be conducted by leading wine professionals and Cava ambassadors, including Pedro Ballesteros MW and Ferran Centelles, in the form of educational video tutorials. Upon completion of an exam at the end of the course, successful candidates will receive a Certified Cava Trainer diploma and gain access to the Cava Academy Alumni community. In addition, once travel restrictions from the pandemic are lifted, course graduates will be able to participate in a 2- or 3-day visit to the Cava region to experience winery visits as well as masterclasses focused on Cava’s gastronomic versatility.
Students who wish to take their Cava studies one step further will have the opportunity to present a thesis on a choice of three subjects related to the sector throughout the year. The title of Cava Expert will be awarded to all those who present their thesis in compliance with the requirements, and the top-rated work of the year will be recognized.
According to Javier Pagés, President of the Cava D.O.: “The Cava Academy was created with the aim of training true experts in Cava as ambassadors, improving their experience and understanding of Cava in their fields of work: restauration, training establishments, food and specialised shops. They will share the excellence of Cava and its region with those who are new to the subject, thereby inspiring confidence in speaking about Cava knowledgably among the community of Cava-lovers around the world.”
The Cava Academy has a limited number of places: each edition will allow a maximum of 40 students. The 2021 intake is open from now until 26 August: those interested can register and, if selected, take the course from September onwards. For those interested, future calls for applications will be announced on the website—cavaacademy.com.
CAVA ACADEMY
Registration: cavaacademy.com
Price: 150 € ($180 USD). Includes a tasting kit made up of a representative sample of each category of Cava, apart from Cava de Paraje Calificado, which each student may purchase individually if they wish. This year, the selection has been made by Pedro Ballesteros MW.
About D.O. Cava
With more than 70% of international sales, Cava is the Spanish D.O. which exports the most wine: its 370 associated wineries are present in over 100 countries. The D.O. encompasses more than 93,900 acres of vineyards and more than 6,800 winegrowers. Cava is a quality sparkling wine that pairs perfectly with every type of food, and is made using the traditional method, with a strict commitment to origin, land, and sustainability.
