The ice cider Valverán 20 Apples, from Masaveu Wineries, has won a Gold Medal at the 2024 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in the Alternative Drink category. This recognition adds to the numerous awards the beverage has received in recent months and also earned it the title of Best Specialty Cider at the latest international World Cider Awards, regarded as the “Oscars of Cider.”
On this occasion, Valverán 20 Manzanas received recognition from a panel of over 60 experts who evaluated 800 beverages from various countries, awarding 700 medals across different categories, more than 50 of them gold. The jury highlighted the quality of the Asturian ice cider and recognized its excellence. In the cider category, 20 medals were awarded, with only two being gold—one of which went to Valverán 20 Manzanas. The panel praised the balance between “sweetness and acidity” of the Asturian cider and its great potential “to pair with desserts or to enjoy on its own after dinner.”
20,000 apple trees of different varieties
Llagares Valverán, located at Finca El Rebollar in Sariego, was founded by José Masaveu, General Director of Masaveu Wineries, in 1998. However, it was not until 2007 that this ice cider was created, with the Masaveu family being pioneers in producing ice ciders on the Iberian Peninsula. The estate of the cider house, from which the apples used for Valverán 20 Apples are sourced, is the largest apple orchard in Asturias and in Spain when it comes to native Asturian varieties. It is the only Asturian cider house that exclusively produces this category of cider on its premises.
The name Valverán 20 Apples comes from the number of apples needed to produce each 37.5 cL bottle, as it contains the concentrated juice of at least 20 apples. Masaveu Wineries increased its production by 36% in the latest vintage, which was released to the market in March of this year, with only 27,540 bottles produced.
The production of this beverage involves a complex process, beginning with the harvesting of native Asturian apples, hand-selected, washed, and inspected one by one. Six main varieties of Asturian apples are used: Raxao, Durona de Tresali, Verdialona, De la Riega, Xuanina, and Fuentes. The apples are then crushed and pressed, and the juice obtained is settled in stainless steel tanks through cooling. Once clarified, it is frozen at minus 20 degrees. After separating the ice from the juice, the resulting essence ferments for 10 months at a temperature of 10ºC and then rests for eight months in stainless steel tanks on its lees.
It is a slow production process that requires time and patience; in fact, two years pass from the harvesting of the apples at the cider house to the commercialization of this ice cider.
Today, the estate has 40 hectares registered as organic, located within the Protected Designation of Origin Sidra de Asturias, specifically at Finca El Rebollar in Sariego (Asturias), where 20,000 apple trees of different varieties allow the production of this distinguished ice cider full of nuances.
It is a fresh and surprising beverage that pairs perfectly with foie, cheeses, and lightly sweet desserts. It has aromas of citrus, orange peel, apple, and quince, and on the palate it shows a perfect balance between acidity and sweetness, with an acidic finish that gives it great freshness.
About Masaveu Wineries
The Masaveu family began investing in the wine sector in 1974, when they acquired Bodegas Murua in Rioja Alavesa. However, the family’s vineyard plantings date back to the mid-19th century, specifically in Castellar del Vallés, their place of origin, where Federico Masaveu Rivell started the vineyard endeavors that a century later would be continued by his descendants.
Since then, Masaveu Wineries has grown to become a benchmark in the industry, recognized for the quality of its wines across various DOs and for its environmental philosophy and utmost respect for the land, on which it owns its own vineyard plantations. Thanks to these vineyards, each bottle conveys the unique personality of its terroir. In this way, all the projects undertaken by Masaveu Wineries across different regions share a common denominator: Fillaboa (DO Rías Baixas), Leda (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León), Murua (DOCa Rioja), Pagos de Araiz (DO Navarra), and Valverán (Asturias).
