In Catalonia, Joan Pons, a winemaker from La Granada in Alt Penedès, has announced his candidacy for president of the DO Cava Regulatory Council. He is the fifth person to put their name forward for the post.

Pons works with the Miquel Pons family winery in La Granada. His family owns 60 hectares of organic vineyards. Since April 2022, he has also been president of Cevipe, the Celler Cooperatiu i Secció de Crèdit de La Granada.

Cevipe brings together 13 wine cooperatives across Alt and Baix Penedès, Garraf, Tarragonès, Alt Camp, Conca de Barberà and Les Garrigues. It has 2,700 members, including 2,200 farming families, and manages 7,000 hectares of vineyards. In 2025, the group produced 40 million litres of wine, with 90% destined for DO Cava. It is the leading producer of base wine for Cava. For more on the sector, see news coverage.

Pons, born in La Granada in 1959, joins a field that includes Marta Vidal, CEO of Vallformosa in Vilobí del Penedès, Pere Ventura, owner of the eponymous cellars in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Marc Pagès of Cava Pagès Entrena in Sant Jaume Sesoliveres, and Xavier Lluch, a wine entrepreneur, mayor of Font-rubí and president of the Alt Penedès Comarcal Council.

Speaking to La Vanguardia, Pons said the new Regulatory Council plenary must take “urgent” decisions early in its term. He said the sector is going through “difficult times”, but noted that 22 million bottles of high-end Cava are produced each year. He added that Reserva and Gran Reserva Cavas “give us prestige and allow us to pay growers better”.

He also stressed the role of Guarda Cavas, which have shorter ageing periods, saying they “feed us all”. Pons said support is needed for large, medium and small producers alike, and that “all growers, from the smallest to the largest, must be able to make a living from their work”.

Pons said the sector, which sold 190 million bottles last year, should aim to return to 250 million bottles and “be able to face the future with peace of mind”. He said Cava is a widely consumed product that “must be positioned well in markets”, and described it as “a quality product with super competitive prices”. He also said younger consumers should be engaged through “new products thoughtfully designed”.