The awards can now be consulted by category and by producer. A jury made up of the producers themselves ensures that different tastes and cider traditions are represented, with impartiality, diversity and criteria grounded in cider.
LA SIDRA.- The official winners list for the 16th SISGA Awards has just been published on the International Hall of Gala Ciders website. The list presents the distinctions both by category and by producer, completing an edition that featured 346 products from 124 cider producers across 35 countries and territories.
The publication gives producers, professionals and the public access to the results of a competition whose jury is one of its defining features. No one knows more about cider than the people who make it: the cider makers themselves. This is the foundation of a system that entrusts judging to those with firsthand knowledge of apples, fermentation and the work of a cider mill.
The International Jury comprised one representative from each cider producer attending in person, alongside a technical panel appointed by the organisers, and was chaired by Manuel G. Busto. The ciders were assessed through blind tasting within their respective categories.
This composition, together with blind tasting, is the guarantee of impartiality championed by SISGA. The presence of cider makers from different territories also ensures that the diversity of tastes and perspectives within the cider world is represented. The international scope of the event is thus reflected in the judging itself.
Cider needs its own criteria. Knowledge of wine or beer cannot replace specific experience in cider making and tasting, nor should it determine which styles deserve recognition. Assessing ciders on their own terms allows the diversity of varieties, methods and traditions within the sector to be appreciated, without subjecting them to preferences drawn from other drinks.
The SISGA Awards recognise this diversity through Premium, Gold, Silver and Bronze distinctions. Premium goes to the product with the highest score in each category. The awards cover still and sparkling ciders, perries, ice and fire ciders, liqueurs, spirits, vermouths and alcohol-free products.
Among the Asturian Premium winners are Exner Craft Cider, by Gallinal Drinks, in semi-dry sparkling cider with added carbonation; Ramos del Valle Brut, by Sidra Fran, in brut sparkling cider with natural carbonation; and Sidra de hielo, by Sidra Cortina. Exner’s participation and the story of Cortina’s ice cider illustrate some of the variety of Asturian products recognised.
Internationally, Maley earns Premium distinctions for Cidre du Saint Bernard, Poire Jorasses and Lo Cristallier, while Manufaktur Jörg Geiger receives them for Craftvol and !Wehmut. Gold awards also go to products from Fukiware Cidrerie, Marukame cider and THREE PEAKS, reflecting the Japanese presence and the exchange promoted by SISGAJapan.
Following the awards presentation at the Gala Brunch on Sunday 27 September and the close of this edition of SISGA, the official list now provides a full account of the distinctions. The complete results are available at sisga.info, by category and by producer.
