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The 36th edition of the Salón Gourmets is a non-stop gastronomic activities. Now it has been the turn of the first Asturian Cider World Cider Pouring Championship, an award that the lovers of this drink have followed very closely. To decide it, a jury composed of industry experts and food critics has valued aspects such as technique, style, speed and cleanliness when pouring a cider. On this occasion, Wilkin Aquiles Bautista Mendosa, from Sidrería Avenida in Gijón, was named Best World Cider Pourer of Asturian Cider.
On the one hand, the jury assessed the crushing and the delivery of the glass. Then, jury number two looked at the bottle and the glass. And finally, jury number three took into account the posture when pouring the cider. Behind Wilkin, second place went to Yonatan Trabanco García, from Los Portales de Jaminón in Pola de Siero (Asturias). And completing the podium, Gabriel Alexander Nina Lluveres of the Sidrería Tierra Astur, in Oviedo.
Pouring, an art form
Asturian cider is a symbol of the region’s identity, and the apple is one of its most characteristic fruits. There are 76 varieties of cider apple trees grown in Asturias and all of them are of great quality. Together with the skill and precision at the time of serving, they make this technique famous all over the world.
The pouring technique or “the intention to simulate the action of spiking the cask in the cider press” favors the awakening of the carbonic, which leads to the cider reaching the maximum freshness of its flavor. To be done correctly, the pourer must adopt an upright posture, with the bottle above the head and the glass tilted below the waist, in the center of the body, so that the jet should fall straight and to the edge of the glass. The resulting “culete” should contain around 100 ml and should be drunk immediately after pouring to enjoy the taste of the bubbles that have been vitalized thanks to the pouring. Chín chín!