The cava boom hits the heart of the Middle East

Cava causes furor in Israel. The phrase "champagne party tonight" is no longer unusual in Israeli bars and nightclubs, as the sparkling Spanish wine has become, in a few years, the beverage of choice in the country, becoming a regular part of the menu for local restaurants, Japanese or Arabs bistros.

According to data published by the European Commission, in the past five years, the Spanish sparkling wine exports have increased on average by 115 percent annually, reaching in 2007 to its peak, an increase of 162 percent. The latest published figures reveal that during the past year, Spain exported more than a million euros of this drink to this country.

Among the main causes behind this exponential increase in demand is the growing interest in Spanish culture, thanks to the fashion of visiting the Spanish country, especially Barcelona. This has led to the opening in recent years of many Spanish tapas restaurants, the perfect setting for promoting this type of wine.

But undoubtedly, the key to the so called 'cava phenomenon' is due to lower tariffs in recent years, a move made possible by agreements on the liberalization of agricultural products between the EU and Israel. Earlier this decade, the European sparkling wines bear a tariff of 160 percent, plus an extra fee of 0.25 euros per liter. Currently, the tariff stands at 12 percent, with a minimum of 0.19 euros per liter.

This significant reduction of tariffs has resulted in the lowering of retail price and increased demand, especially among young audiences who have come even to replace traditional energy drinks by cava.