Asturian Cider

Cider is a typical alcoholic drink from the north of Spain, specifically Asturias, with a low alcohol content and very refreshing. It is obtained from fermented apple juice. There are two products protected by the designation of origin: cider and natural cider.

Cider: it is the drink that results after the partial or total alcoholic fermentation of the fresh apple or its must, with a minimum alcohol level of 5%. We differentiate dry, semi-dry and sweet cider, depending on the amount of sugar they contain. Its aroma reminds us of fresh apple or applesauce, with a bright and clean yellow colour.

Natural cider: it is produced following traditional methods, without adding sugars and with endogenous carbon dioxide. The minimum alcoholic content is also 5% by volume.

Aromas, colours and flavours

It has vegetable essences in terms of its aroma, with a taste between acid and bitter with a light sensation of natural needle due to the carbon dioxide. Its colour is in the range of yellow with straw-coloured iridescence.

Both are made from varieties of cider apple grown in Asturias. The varieties of apples used are classified according to their acidity into acid, sweet, bitter, semi-acid and combinations of these. This makes the cider have different colours, aromas and flavours. 

During alcoholic fermentation, sugars are transformed into numerous components, but the most important are ethanol and CO2. To awaken this endogenous carbon and volatilize part of the acetic acid that cider possesses, it is poured. When a jet of cider falls against the side of the glass, it is oxygenated, thus the smell of this drink reaches us better and reaffirms its qualities.

The origin of the word cider (sidra in Spanish) comes from the Greek sikera, in Latin sicera and in Asturian sizra will begin to be pronounced and finally sidra. There are numerous documents throughout history that name cider and apple orchards.

Some claim that cider was already known by the Hebrews, the Egyptians and the Greeks. However, in reality it is not possible to prove it in documents. It is not until the 8th and 9th centuries when documents mention cider and orchards in the peninsula. During the 12th and 13th centuries, apple tree exploitation in Asturias showed a great boom, until it reached the present day, when Asturias owns 80% of the national production, and is the fourth European producer.

Production territory

The production area comprises all the municipalities of the Principality of Asturias. The apples used come exclusively from this community. As the area has many mountainous regions, the apple trees are grown in the valleys and on the slopes. The humid climate with low solar radiation in summer and the abundance of rain have a great influence on cider in Asturias.

Purchase in origin in our FASCINATING PLACES AvilésCangas de NarceaCangas de OnísCastropolColungaCudilleroGijónLlanesMieresMuros de Nalón , NaviaPraviaRibadesellaTevergaTineo and Villaviciosa.

Regulatory Board of the PDO “Asturian Cider”
Asturias Street, s/n – San Juan de Capistrano building, 1st floor
33300 – Villaviciosa (ASTURIAS)
Phone: (+34) 985 893 208
Fax: 985 893 170
E-mail: [email protected]

CIDER MUSEUM
Plaza Príncipe de Asturias, s/n
33520 – Villa de Nava (Asturias)


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