The International Cider Fair SISGA’25 has awarded Valverán 20 Manzanas the Best Ice Cider prize with the Premium distinction, the highest recognition in its category. The awards ceremony took place yesterday, Sunday, during a gala brunch held at Finca El Duque Restaurant in Gijón. A professional jury and a specialized tasting committee evaluated 236 ciders from 63 producers representing 18 countries.
Valverán 20 Manzanas is the most awarded Spanish ice cider, having received numerous prizes at prestigious national and international competitions such as the World Cider Awards, Global Cider Masters, Cider World, International Wine & Spirit Competition, Gilbert & Gaillard, CINVE, Nava Cider Festival, and the Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition.
20,000 apple trees of different varieties
Llagares Valverán, located at El Rebollar estate in Sariego, is a project by José Masaveu, General Director of Masaveu Bodegas, which began in 1998. However, it was in 2007 that this ice cider was born, with the Masaveu family becoming pioneers in the production of ice cider in Spain. The estate’s orchard, from which the apples used to make this cider come, is the largest in Asturias and in Spain when it comes to native Asturian varieties. It is also the only cider house in Asturias that exclusively produces and markets 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.
The production of this beverage involves a complex process that begins with the hand-picking of carefully selected native Asturian apples, which are washed and individually inspected. For its production, six main Asturian apple varieties are used: Raxao, Durona de Tresali, Verdialona, De la Riega, Xuanina, and Fuentes.
The apples are crushed and pressed, and the resulting must is clarified in stainless steel tanks through a cooling process. Once clarified, it is frozen at -20°C. After separating the ice from the must, the resulting essence ferments for 10 months at 10°C, and then rests for eight additional 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.
Valverán 20 Manzanas es una bebida fresca y sorprendente que armoniza a la perfección con foie, quesos y postres poco dulces. Se recomienda servir a una temperatura de 12ºC para disfrutar al máximo de su aroma a cítricos, a cáscara de naranja, manzana y membrillo. En boca muestra un equilibrio perfecto entre acidez y dulzor, con un final ácido que le otorga gran frescura.
About Masaveu Wineries
The Masaveu family began investing in the winemaking sector in 1974, when they acquired Bodegas Murua, but the family’s vineyard plantings date back to the mid-19th century, specifically in Castellar del Vallés, where the family originates and where Federico Masaveu Rivell started the steps that a century later would be continued by his descendants.
Since then, Masaveu Wineries has grown steadily with a strong commitment to quality in the production of its wines across different DOs, embracing an ecological philosophy and utmost respect for the land, where it owns its own vineyards, allowing them to convey the unique personality of each terroir in every bottle. In this way, all of Masaveu Wineries’ projects across different parts and regions of the country come together under a common denominator: Murua (DOCa. Rioja), Fillaboa (DO. Rías Baixas), Leda (Wine of Tierra de Castilla y León) and Valverán (Asturias).
