On last 30th of April took place in the Dutch city of Rotterdam the second edition of the International Cider Festival, an event that gathers the cider producers from different parts of Europe with the aim of increasing the knowledge about this beverage in Holland while reaching new markets.
This event was organized for the very first time on 2014 by Raúl Henríquez of Ciderwinkel and Wouter Bijl of CiderCider, two Dutch distributors that established this as a referential date for European ciders. Located in the nice frame of the Fenix Food Factory, in the remodeled industrial area in the modern port of Maashaven, this fair had the presence of cider makers from many countries and more than a thousand people.
In this edition LA SIDRA and the Asturies XXI Foundation had the pride to have a delegation to represent Asturies in this event. It was composed of two days, one as inauguration with a dinner along with cider paired with dishes of the Dutch chefs and a second day for the open to public fair, where people came full of interest to taste cider from the many stands.
There we could meet old friends from all around Europe that had participated in the International Hall of Gala Ciders (SISGA) and many others that showed a great interest in coming for the next edition. Among them there were our neighbors from Galicia from Maeloc Cider Mill, presenting their ciders mixed with different fruits and their small bottle format, which had a great welcome among the public. From other celtic countries there we could met the Scottish mill of Thistly Cross and Luke Fenton told us their cider fermented in whiskey casks, which we already knew from other years in Lorient but that never leaves us indifferent. And precisely from Brittany there was a Breton cider maker from Cidrerie de la Vallée de la Seiche, from the Rennes area, offering us brut ciders and a perry of the highest quality, recently awarded in Paris.
There was also present the Irish cider mill Finnbarra, which we had already met in the German fair Apfelwein Weltweit and Géraldine told us their last novelties like their 15º ciders, which was a delicacy for the lovers of the strongest flavors, alongside with other ciders they know well.
From the other side of Europe, from Letonia we had the wonderful ciders by Abavas and the cider maker himself Mārtiņs Barkāns we knew the last developments of this cider mill: ciders with its very own and unique taste that makes them a reference for his country.
Asturian cider was represented with plenty of varieties of natural cider, that triumphed due to our ancient and flamboyant culture of the cider pouring, for the freshness of the natural cider and the high quality of the sparkling ciders. Riestra, Trabanco, Viuda d’Angelón and Panizales assured the good variety of ciders, suitable for the different tastes of the interested palates of the public from Rotterdam.
But the surprises were given by the Dutch cider makers, especially by Welsums Goed and De Vergeten Appel, that offered us some modern ciders with tastes very similar to Asturian ciders but with features of their own and likewise innovative, since they have a variety of cider with elderflower with an unmistakable arome as well as some brut ciders that will give a lot to speak about.
This way the Dutch people have a double merit, namely: to organize this event and from the cider makers themselves to establish and grant the location of this country in the international cider scene.
