The 16th Salón Internacional de les Sidres de Gala (SISGA), held in Gijón from 24 to 27 September, closed with record figures: 346 ciders from 124 cider makers in 35 countries and territories. The official list of awards, now published, hands out 223 distinctions across 22 categories: 21 Premium, 12 gold, 94 silver and 96 bronze.

A jury of cider makers

SISGA does not judge cider by wine or beer standards. The jury is made up of one representative from each participating cider maker plus a technical panel from the organisers, chaired by Manuel G. Busto, and the ciders are tasted blind within their category. The tasting took place on Friday 25th and the awards were announced on Sunday 27th, at the closing event.

Asturias: 21 awards and three Premium

Asturian cider makers add up to 21 distinctions shared among 12 producers: 3 Premium, 2 gold, 12 silver and 4 bronze. The three Premium awards went to:

  • Sidra Cortina (Villaviciosa), for its ice cider.
  • Sidra Fran, for Ramos del Valle Brut, a naturally sparkling cider. Fran is also the most awarded Asturian cider maker, with three: two silvers on top of the Premium.
  • Gallinal Drinks, for Exner Craft Cider, a semi-dry cider with added carbonation.

Riestra also takes three awards (one gold, one silver and one bronze), and there is gold for Viuda de Angelón and El Duque. Among the silvers are Castañón, Valverán and Piñera, among others.

France on top

By country, France leads the table with 30 awards for 13 producers, strongest in naturally sparkling ciders, perry and derived products. Notable names from abroad include the three Premium awards of France’s Maley and the two of Germany’s Jörg Geiger, as well as several golds for Japanese cideries.

More than a competition

Besides the competition, the fair held an open public tasting on Saturday 26th, with guided tastings of Japanese, Basque, Czech, Italian and French ciders; an international round table at the Cider Museum in Nava; visits to the Cortina, Piñera and El Gaitero cider makers; and the annual assembly of the Cider Cities network. The full list, by category and by cider maker, is on the SISGA website.

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