Asturian cider is once again lending itself to a good cause. The 12th Charity Espicha against Cancer will be held on Saturday 7 November at 19:30 at the Casa Cortina cider house in Amandi (Villaviciosa). It is organised by the Regulatory Council of the Sidra de Asturias PDO and the Sandra Ibarra Foundation.

Javier Gutiérrez, ambassador

During the espicha, the actor Javier Gutiérrez will be named Ambassador of Charity Asturian Cider 2026. Born in Luanco in 1971, he has won two Goya awards for best leading actor, for La isla mínima (Marshland) and El autor (The Motive). He takes over from Dr María Neira, last year’s ambassador.

Where the money goes

Part of the proceeds goes to the Sandra Ibarra Foundation’s Escuela de Vida (School of Life), an online community that supports cancer patients and survivors, as well as their families and carers, with guidance, training and health information.

Tickets

Tickets cost €40, of which €10 is a direct donation to the foundation. They can be bought at the Regulatory Council’s offices, by email at administracion@sidradeasturias.es, at Casa Cortina itself or on Entradium.

An espicha is the Asturian get-together around cider poured straight from the barrel, with food to share. Casa Cortina, founded in 1952, is a cider house and cider maker with the PDO seal, and its ice cider has just won a Premium award at the SISGA.

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