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A few days ago, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food published in the BOE the resolution giving the green light to include the smaller geographical unit ‘Requena’ (Valencia) within the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) ‘Cava’, after years claiming this request.
The Regional Minister of Agriculture, José Luis Aguirre, celebrated the execution of the sentence. “This is excellent news and a great recognition, not only for the winegrowers who produce the grapes but also for the wineries, which will be a great boost for the marketing and economic development of the sector,” he said in a statement.
After the publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE), the Regional Minister affirms that “today the injustice of the PDO Cava and the obstacles of the central government against Valencian wine growers have been recognized”. With a view to the future, Aguirre calls to “make all the necessary efforts in the vineyards, which are the raw material of wine, and in the markets, so that the sector continues to gain positions”.
It demands that the Ministry to include two of the crops “more punished by the lack of water and were excluded from these aids: wine and olive groves”. It also highlights that the Conselleria has launched support proposals such as green harvesting.
Specifically, the resolution dated January 25, 2024 and signed by the General Director of Food, José Miguel Herrero, recalls the previous judicial path and, specifically, the judgment of November 30, 2022 of the High Court of Justice of Madrid which upheld the contentious-administrative appeal filed by the Association of Cava Producers of Requena, the Generalitat Valenciana and Dominio de la Vega, SL, against the exclusion of ‘Requena’ as an area in the specifications of the PDO Cava.
Therefore, based on the foregoing, “and in order to bring to pure and due effect once the aforementioned sentence is final”, it is resolved to annul the pronouncements expressed in the favorable resolution of the General Directorate of the Food Industry dated June 10, 2021 to the normal modification of the specifications of the Protected Designation of Origin ‘Cava’ by which it was considered inappropriate to use the term ‘Requena’ with respect to the smaller geographical unit related to said geographical area.
Likewise, ‘Requena’ will be included as a smaller geographical unit, of the ‘Zone’ type, within the corresponding sections of the specifications of the PDO ‘Cava’.