Cava Sales Drop 12.88% in 2025 as Drought Limits Supply but Premium Bottles Surge

The Cava Designation of Origin (D.O. Cava), which brings together Spain’s main cava producers, released its 2025 results on Wednesday, revealing a challenging year marked by a significant drop in sales. The organization reported that 190 million bottles were sold in 2025, a decrease of 12.88% compared to the previous year. This decline was mainly attributed to production limitations caused by ongoing drought conditions, which restricted product availability rather than reflecting a fall in consumer demand.

Despite the overall downturn, higher-value segments within the category showed positive growth. Sales of Cavas de Guarda Superior—which include Reserva, Gran Reserva, and Cava de Paraje Calificado—rose by 1.41%. Notably, Gran Reserva cavas saw a 6.09% increase over 2024, while Cavas de Paraje Calificado experienced an 82.35% jump. Javier Pagés, president of the D.O. Cava Regulatory Council, emphasized that these premium segments represent significant growth potential for the future of the category.

Pagés stated that the results for 2025 confirm the D.O.’s clear commitment to enhancing value, quality, extended aging periods, and origin zoning—key elements of its strategic positioning. He highlighted that even in a year affected by drought, higher-value segments continued to gain importance within the category. According to Pagés, this trend supports the premiumization strategy pursued in recent years.

In 2025, D.O. Cava welcomed more than 200 professionals—including journalists, buyers, and industry experts—to its production region for visits and reverse trade missions; 72% of these visitors were international. Over 100 winery visits were organized as part of these efforts. The organization also intensified its international communications plan with initiatives such as a professional event in Canada and six exclusive gatherings in Japan attended by 230 sector professionals.

The second edition of the international Cava Meeting congress brought together more than 120 wine professionals in the heart of cava country, with international participants making up 60% of attendees. Two exclusive premieres were also held in New York and London, attracting 92 prominent professionals from the trade.

Professional training was another focus area for D.O. Cava in 2025. Through its Cava Academy program, it added 150 new trainers during the year—62% of whom were international—bringing the total number of certified professionals to over 760.

Market performance varied significantly across regions. Overall sales fell by 12.88%, with international markets particularly affected due to reduced product availability (down 18.68%). Domestic sales dropped by just 2.48% in volume but increased in value. In total, 113.9 million bottles were exported while 76.1 million were sold within Spain.

Among major export markets, Belgium (-13.54%), the United States (-18.42%), the United Kingdom (-11.99%), and Sweden (-13.40%) all recorded notable declines. However, other key countries posted growth: the Netherlands (1.17%), Norway (6.60%), Latvia (22.34%), Lithuania (1.04%), and South Korea (6.81%). Emerging markets such as Brazil (up 6.43%) and Mexico (up 12.17%) also showed strong performance.

Cava remains a cornerstone of Spain’s wine economy, generating business from more than 190 million bottles sold annually. In Catalonia, cava accounts for 90.3% of all sparkling wine sales by value; across Spain as a whole, it represents 73.8%. According to consumption data from Circana, cava is a leading brand with strong consumer recognition and trust in its designation of origin seal.

The sector is also vital for grape production: cava accounts for about 60% of all D.O.-certified grape output in Catalonia and uses roughly 70% of Catalonia’s D.O.-designated vineyards for its production. It represents about 35% of Spain’s D.O.-certified wine exports.

Cava continues to be Spain’s most exported wine globally, reaching more than 130 countries each year. Pagés noted that this designation stands for quality through independent controls, traceability measures, and continuous improvement processes.

The social impact is also significant: D.O. Cava covers around 38,000 hectares of vineyards and supports nearly 6,200 grape-growing families across almost 6,000 vineyard operations and about 200 wineries—providing approximately 12,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Pagés highlighted what he called “unity in diversity” within D.O. Cava: different business models share a common vision based on origin, quality, and prestige for cava worldwide.

Looking ahead, Pagés pointed out that global trends favor wines with lower alcohol content and less sugar—especially white and sparkling wines—which aligns well with cava’s profile and future prospects focused on quality, sustainability, and regional identity.

The sector’s economic activity exceeds €2 billion annually with sales reaching over 190 million bottles in 2025 alone. D.O. Cava maintains market leadership in Spain with an estimated share of more than 85% by volume among quality sparkling wines and nearly three-quarters by value.

Current strategy centers on premiumization through higher-quality categories like Guarda Superior and a decisive shift toward sustainability: organic cavas now make up nearly one-fifth (19%) of total sales with an aim for all Guarda Superior cavas to be organic by next year.

While traditional markets saw slight contractions in volume during the year under review—domestic consumption fell by just over 2%, but value rose by more than 1%—the sector expanded dynamically into emerging markets such as Mexico, Latvia, and Brazil.

Cava’s production structure reflects this focus on quality: most bottles sold are standard Guarda (88%), but Reserva (9.7%), Gran Reserva (2.2%), and Paraje Calificado (0.02%) categories are growing or holding steady despite overall declines elsewhere.

Rosé cavas account for about 7% of total output; organic cavas now represent almost one-fifth of all sales.

Internationally oriented from its origins, D.O. Cava exports about 60% of its production to more than one hundred countries worldwide—with Belgium, the U.S., U.K., Sweden, Netherlands, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and Poland ranking as top destinations.

The sector’s economic footprint includes support for thousands of families involved in grape growing or winemaking across nearly forty thousand hectares planted mainly with native varieties such as Macabeo (36%), Xarel·lo (26%), Parellada (19%), Chardonnay (7%), Garnacha Tinta (5%), along with smaller shares from Trepat, Pinot Noir, Subirat Parent and Monastrell.

D.O. Cava has also invested heavily in global promotion through professional training programs like Cava Academy—now boasting over seven hundred certified experts—and high-profile events including trade missions abroad and branded content partnerships with leading international publications such as Decanter and Wine Spectator.

The organization bases its reputation on four pillars: guaranteed origin through strict traceability; traditional production methods emphasizing long aging; territorial zoning to reinforce identity; and comprehensive sustainability commitments covering environmental stewardship as well as economic support for local communities.

Despite facing challenges from climate conditions affecting harvests in recent years—and resulting supply constraints—the sector continues to adapt through innovation in both product quality and market outreach while maintaining its role as a key driver for rural economies across Spain’s main wine-producing regions.