Sunday, 26 september
PRESENTATION of the events of the 18th Cava week in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia

For yet another year, the 19th Catalan Wine and Cava Exhibition which was held from 22 to 26 September at the Maremagnum centre in Barcelona, saw the presentation on Sunday 26 September at 8 p.m. of the poster for the 18th Cava Week in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, organised by the Confraria del Cava Sant Sadurní (Fellowship). This year's poster was created by the prestigious sculptor Josep Mª Subirachs, who, along with the chairman of the Confraria (fellowship) Joan Juvé and the director of INCAVI Domingo Valiente, and accompanied by the members of the County Council, a large number of members and the Falcons of the Land of Cava (Catalan champagne) presented the Cava Week poster.

Tuesday, 5 october
Awarding of Prizes for the window-dressers competition

The Shopkeepers' Union award of window-dressing prizes took place this year at the Casa del Cava. This year the prize-winning window-dresser was Josefa Magraner of the shop Marcs Magrané, with other prizes going to the florists Jardinet and Amèlia for the quality of their window displays.


Saturday, 9 october
6th Exhibition of Cava plates

Some 725 people from all over Catalonia gathered at the J.M. Raventós i Blanc cellar for the 6th Exhibition of Cava Plates. Collectors, enthusiasts and curious onlookers came together for one of the activities that attracts ever larger number of followers each year. The event was organised by the Association of Collectors of Cava Plates, an association created five years ago and chaired by Marc Martí, who presented the book …

The exhibition as such was inaugurated at seven in the evening with the works presented for the 18th Land of Cava painting exhibition. This year the paintings were exhibited until 14 October in the Index gallery and the former hospital chapel, with all 56 works presented by artists from all over Spain. The winners included Mr Vicente Bayarri who, with the painting La Sombra del Cava, came first, while Valenti Lanza came second with the painting La Vinya. Other awards went to David Ribas, Mª Teresa Baltasar and Teresa Acinas.

Crowning of the Queen of Cava
This year's queen, the well-known top model Martina Klein, came to the cava town accompanied by her ladies in waiting and escorted by the mounted brigade of the Barcelona police. There was a procession round the town with the popular giants, stick-dancers, wine-cultivators, tambourine players, sackbutt players, Cava folklore performers and the Banda Lira Ampostina troupe, who escorted the queen to the balcony of the town's city hall.

From the town hall balcony a great crowd of people gathered to take part in the festivals at first hand. The well-known journalist Josep Maria Bachs gave an inaugural address taking its inspiration in his Penedès origins, thereby opening the doors to this year's edition. After that, Nagore Ardanza, daughter of the former President of the Basque Country, who was the Queen of Cava in 1995, crowned the top model Martina Klein as new queen. The chairman of the Cava fellowship of Sant Sadurní, Joan Jové, the mayor of Sant Sadurní, Joan Amat, accompanied by the other Fellows, offered the new queen a glass of the first-pressing must of the year's harvest, pressed by students of the Sant Sadurní schools.
At the end, a splendid firework display was put on for the new Cava Queen. The gathering then adjourned to the headquarters of the Cava Fellowship at Torre-Ramona, where a dinner of honour was served. The prizes for the 18th Land of Cava Painting Competition were awarded during the course of the dinner.
In parallel with this, the Ateneu cultural centre of Sant Sadurní, within the framework of the Young Cava Night, was the scenario for performances by the groups La tribu de Santi Arisa and De Noche, where all in attendance were given coca cake and cava.


Sunday, 10 october

At eight in the morning some 600 cyclists gathered at Caves Castellblanch winery for the start the Marxa Ciclotourística that was to travel around the Land of Cava. Each participant was given a bottle of cava, and the winners received trophies from the members of the Fellowship board.
Some 300 people was able to enjoy a very stylish concert at 7 in the evening at the Ateneu pavilion, with a performance by the Roquetes-Nou Barris symphony band, which offered a varied programme of Catalan popular songs, orchestral music and present-day themes.


Monday, 11 october
Autumn Youth Investiture

On Monday 11th at 9 in the evening the traditional autumn investiture of Young Fellows was held at the Fellowship of Cava premises. This year the Young Fellow of Honour was the well-known mountaineer Araceli Segarra, who in her engaging manner swore her faithfulness to our wine of the stars. The Gelida writer Jordi Llavina was invested as Young Fellow of Merit, and at the end of the ceremony offered us some magical words about CAVA that brought back the memories. After the investiture ceremony, a magnificent supper was put on and those in attendance were able to enjoy dancing into the early hours.


Tuesday, 12 october

At 9 o'clock in the morning the Parc de la Rambla was the setting for the 5th Petanque Bowling Tournament, which this year had 175 participants. The winners were awarded the various trophies.

The Cava Train took a thousand people to the Cava Week festivals
As occurs every year on 12 October the 17th Land of Cava Train left Barcelona's Sants station, carrying over 1,000 passengers from Barcelona and its hinterland. This year, due to the railwaymen's strike, the train was a local-service train, which nevertheless did not dampen the liveliness and magic of the journey which took about three-quarters of an hour, during which Cava was served to all on board. Travellers were entertained by the group Xarop de Canya.
Upon their arrival in Sant Sadurní the passengers were met by the Council of the Fellowship of Cava and its chairman Joan Juvé, the troupes of giants of Lliçà de Munt and Vilanova del Vallès and the host giants of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, and a procession set off to the town hall square. Once there the passengers had the chance to visit all the cellars in the town, for this is the only bank holiday in the year when they are all open.
At midday there was a mass lunch at the Ateneu pavilion, with entertainment provided by the Orquestra Els Angels. At about six o'clock the Land of Cava Train set off on the return journey to Barcelona.


Wednesday, 13 october
Grand Gastronomic Dinner at Masia Bach

The traditional gastronomic dinner which each year brings together well-known Catalan restaurants and enthusiasts of good cooking, was held in the incomparable setting of Masia Bach. The guests began to arrive at 8 in the evening, and they were able to enjoy a guided tour of the winery. Meanwhile, out in the gardens, tasty hors d'oeuvres were served along with a glass of cava.
The dinner was served, in order of appearance, by the following restaurants: Restaurant Reno of Barcelona, Restaurant Via Veneto of Barcelona, Restaurant "Carles Gaig" of Barcelona, Restaurant Aspic of Amposta, Restaurant Le Petit Auberge of Vinça (France), Restaurant el Celler de Can Roca of Girona and the confectioner N. Pascual de Sant Pere de Ribes. Table service was laid on by Gourment Paradis.
The menu was made up of an aperitif served by Restaurant Reno with Soufflé Potatoes, Yucca Chips, Cod and Mediterranean Vegetables on toast, Roast Beef stuffed with mushrooms, grape mini-croquettes, squid surprises with herb-flavoured olive oil and brioche of Iberian pork in sauce accompanied by rosé cava by Codorniu.
Once at table the guests were able to enjoy a cream of grape soup in cava flavoured with truffles with Anna de Codorniu Brut cava, followed by a galantine of lobster with ginger and "rovellon" mushroom sauce in cava with Cuvée Raventós Brut Nature. The third course was a fillet of bass with cava suquet and slices of squid with Non Plus Ultra Reserva cava from Codorniu, pastry stuffed with duck paté with sweet and sour wine sauce and raspberries, accompanied by a Gran Codorniu Brut Reserva and finally an oxtail stuffed with marrow and Jaume de Codorniu Brut Reserva.
The dessert, delicious as usual, consisted in a white-chocolate mousse with Tahita vanilla, blackcurrant and mango sauce in cava served with a Bach-Extrissimo Suave Semi Seco cava and accompanied by an assortment of the traditional Pedres del Garraf biscuits. The coffees were served by Café Novell.
Once the dinner had concluded there followed the gastronomic investitures, and the well-known journalist from Catalunya Rádio, Carles Perez, was invested, presenting himself for the presidency of a fictitious country called Cavalunya.


Thursday, 14 october
16th Cava Congress

This year's International Cava Congress opened its doors to some 150 people, between professionals, lecturers and students, who during the seminar discussed subjects relating to the world of cava. The Congress was opened in the name of the Chamber of Commerce by Mr Lluis Bonet. One notable novel feature lay in the presentation of a new tirage cork during a talk by Mr Ramón Prades Cortina, Sales Director of Menshen Iber, S.L. Following a lunch offered by the Fellowship of Cava, the seminar was brought to a close with a talk by Mr Robert Tinlot, Honorary Director-General of the O.I.V., Intergovernmental Organisation on the Winemaking Outlook for the 21st century.


Saturday, 16 october
Autumn Investiture

On Saturday night the Torre Ramona headquarters of the Fellowship of Cava was decked out to celebrate the traditional Autumn Investiture that brought the 18th Cava Week to a close.
The president of the Fellowship, Mr Joan Juvé, accompanied by the Council, authorities, numerous Fellows and the cava falconers welcomed the 1999 Cava Queen, Martina Klein, the head of the Government of Andorra, Marc Forné, Fellows of Merit and new fellows.
The ceremony started with investiture of the new Fellows, who swore faithfulness to cava and promised to defend it. There followed investiture of Fellows of Merit such as Mr Nobuyoshi Shinoda, chairman of the National Association of Alcohol and Liqueur Wholesalers of Japan. Mr Enric Pujal, Andorra minister for tourism and culture, the financial journalist of El Periódico Josep-Maria Ureta, this year's address-giver and TV3 presenter Josep Maria Bachs and the singer Peret were also invested.
Investitures as fellows from the world of sport included the former goalkeeper of FC Barcelona and of the Spanish national team, Antoni Ramallets, and the former director of Espanyol football club and chairman of the Catalan Advertising Association, Ferran Martorell.
In conclusion, the head of the government of Andorra, Mr Marc Forné Molné was invested as Fellow of Honour. In his speech he thanked the Fellowship for this distinction "reserved for only a few", and he stressed the high level of quality Catalan cava had achieved beside French champagne.
There followed an excellent celebratory dinner, and the evening came to an end with an improvised performance by the singer Peret, adapting the well-known phrase "Barcelona tiene poder" (Barcelona has power) to "el cava tiene poder".