Foto: CRC	Ampliar

Cava producers sold 152,2 million bottles abroad during 2011, which jeans a 2,07% increase over 2010 and sets a new international record in the history of this sparkling wine, according to the data announced today in a press conference by the Cava Regulatory Board chairman, Gustavo García Guillamet.


Total cava sales in 2011 were 239,5 million bottles, 2,14% less than the previous year. This fall can be attributed mainly to the domestic market perfomance. According to García Guillamet, during the last quarter of 2011 an "unexpected" fall on sales was recorded. Overall, in 2011 87,3 million bottles were sold in Spain, down 8,7% versus 2010.

García Guillament said that in time of crisis "it is very positive to claim that cava sales achieved a record figure in the foreign market". The chairman of the Cava Regulatory Board added that cava is the D.O. Spanish wine with higghest exportations.

The increase in cava sales at the foreign market concentrates in the EU countries, were 113,2 million bottles were sold in 2011. This means an increase of 2,3% when compared to 2010 and 74,3% of overall cava sales in the foreing market. In third countries, with a 25,6% share of the foreign market, sales reached 39 million bottles, an increase of 1,3% versus the previous year.

Germany keeps its position as the biggest importer of cava, with 40,36 million bottles (down 1,7% over the previous year). United Kingdom, in second place, recorded a similar figure to 2010, with a drop of 0,9% and 31,95 million bottles sold.

Belgium strengthened its third position with an increase of 10,2% and more than 23 million bottles sold during 2011. The fourth place is for United Sates with 17,3 million bottles and a decrease of 0,8% over 2010. Japan keeps the fifth position despite a 4,8% fall on sales (5,5 million bottles). France, for second year in a row, is the sixth foreign market for cava sales, with 4,2 million bottles and an increase of 8,2% over 2010.

Decrease in the domestic market

The chairman of the Cava Regulatory Board stressed that during the first three quarters of 2011 cava sales increased 2,9% over the same period in the previous year. From January to September 2011 cava sales rose 2,72% in the domestic market and 3,01% in the foreign market. With this figures in mind, the Cava Regulatory Board had forecasts that, in the end, it did not meet. According to García Guillamet, sales within the domestic market during the last quarter or 2011 suffered an unexpected fall of 8,71% when compared to the same quarter in 2010.

"Nevertheless, the overall decrease in cava sales in the domestic market in 2011 was 2,14%", said the chairman of the Cava Regulatory Board, who highlighted that in a context of global  economic downturn, the cava industry was able to reduce the impact of the fall of cava sales through price adjustments which affected the whole chain, "from vine growers to cava producers".