Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin
Date: 2005-04-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Principality of Asturias, cider, designation of origin, location of production, product designation

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Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No
2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2005/C 98/03)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the above-
mentioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in
a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognized in accordance with Article
12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication
are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning
of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

‘SIDRA DE ASTURIAS’ OR ‘SIDRA D'ASTURIES’

No CE: ES/00260/28.10.2002

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary has been drawn up for information purposes only. For full details, in particular the produ-
cers of products covered by the PDO or PGI concerned, please consult the complete version of the product
specification obtainable at national level or from the European Commission (1).

1.

Responsible department in the Member State:

Name:

Subdirección General de Sistemas de Calidad Diferenciadas. Dirección General de
Alimentación. Secretaría Generalde Agricultura y Alimentación in the Spanish Ministerio
de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación

Address:

Infanta Isabel, 1. E -28071 Madrid

Telephone:

(34-91) 347 53 94

Fax:

(34-91) 347 54 10

2.

Group:

2.1. Name:

(a) Asociación de Lagareros de Asturias (ALA)

(b) Asociación de Sidra Asturiana (ASSA)

(c) Asociación Asturiana de Cosecheros de Manzana de Sidra (AACOMASI).

2.2. Address:

(a) C/ Dr. Alfredo Martínez, no 6 — 2o, E-33005 Oviedo — Asturias

(b) La Espuncia, s/n, E-33318 Villaviciosa — Asturias

(c) C/ Siglo XX, no 26-28 bajo, E-33208 Gijón — Asturias

2.3. Composition:

Producer/ Processor (X) Other ( )

3.

Type of product:

Class 1-8, Other products in Annex I: cider

4.

Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1 N a me :

‘Sidra de Asturias’ or ‘Sidra d'Asturies’

(1) European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture, Agricultural product quality policy, B-1049 Brussels.

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4.2 De scr i p ti on:

The products to be protected by the protected designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias’ are:

— Cider: a drink obtained from partial or total alcoholic fermentation of fresh apples or apple must.

The minimum alcohol content by volume should be 5 %.

Cider with a sugar content of less than 30 g/l is dry; between 30 and 50 g/L, the cider is semi-
dry, and sweet cider contains over 50 g/l (up to a maximum of 80 g/l).

The organoleptic properties of the cider are its characteristic strong flavour, which may be dry,
semi-dry or sweet; the presence of persistent small, medium and large bubbles of carbon-dioxide
gas of endogenous origin; the clean and balanced aroma, with overtones of fresh or stewed
apples; and the appearance of a transparent, sparkling drink of clear almond hue.

— Natural cider: a drink obtained from partial or total alcoholic fermentation of fresh apples or
apple must, produced in accordance with traditional practices, without the addition of sugar,
containing carbon-dioxide gas of endogenous origin. The minimum alcohol content by volume
should be 5 %.

The natural cider is characterised by a strong flavour, with a good balance between sharpness and
bitterness and a slight natural piquancy. The aroma is clean and fresh with a variety of fruity
notes and a slight acidity. Its appearance is that of a transparent, sparkling drink of a colour
tending to golden or straw coloured.

Both products are prepared from varieties of cider apples traditionally cultivated in the area of
production.

The varieties authorised are classified by their acidity and the concentration of phenolic compounds
in eight technological groups: sweet, bitter-sweet, bitter, semi-acid, semi-acid-bitter, bitter-semi-acid,
acid and acid-bitter.

Varieties

Durona de Tresali

Blanquina

Limón Montés

Teórica

San Roqueña

Raxao

Fuentes

Xuanina

Ernestina

Verdialona

Regona

Clara

Meana

Coloradona

Solarina

De la Riega

Collaos

Perico

Carrió

Prieta

Perezosa

Panquerina

Technological group

Acid

Acid

Acid

Acid

Acid

Acid

Acid

Acid

Sweet

Sweet

Acid-bitter

Bitter

Bitter-semi-acid

Bitter-sweet

Semi-acid

Semi-acid

Semi-acid

Semi-acid

Semi-acid

Semi-acid

Semi-acid

Semi-acid-bitter

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4.3 G e o g r a p h i ca l a r e a :

The area of production of the apples and manufacture of the cider protected by the designation of
origin ‘Sidra de Asturias’ is the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias. Asturias is a
geographical and historical region of northern Spain and comprising 78 municipalities (concejos):
Allande, Aller, Amieva, Avilés, Belmonte de Miranda, Bimenes, Boal, Cabrales, Cabranes, Candamo,
Cangas de Narcea, Cangas de Onís, Caravia, Carreño, Caso, Castrillón, Castropol, Coaña, Colunga,
Corvera, Cudillero, Degaña, El Franco, Gijón, Gozón, Grado, Grandas de Salime, Ibias, Illano, Illas,
Langreo, Las Regueras, Laviana, Lena, Llanera, Llanes, Mieres, Morcín, Muros de Nalón, Nava, Navia,
Noreña, Onís, Oviedo, Parres, Peñamellera Alta, Peñamellera Baja, Pesoz, Piloña, Ponga, Pravia,
Proaza, Quirós, Ribadedeva, Ribadesella, Ribera de Arriba, Riosa, Salas, San Martín de Oscos, San
Martín del Rey Aurelio, Santirso de Abres, Santa Eulalia de Oscos, Santo Adriano, Sariego, Siero,
Sobrescobio, Somiedo, Soto del Barco, Tapia de Casariego, Taramundi, Teverga, Tineo, Valdés,
Vegadeo, Villanueva de Oscos, Villaviciosa, Villayón, Yernes y Tameza.

Although the designated geographical area covers 10 560 km2, Asturias is one of the most mountai-
nous regions of Europe, which severely limits the agricultural area which can be used to grow apples.
Cultivation takes place in small valleys and hillsides throughout the designated area (the 78 municipa-
lities listed).

The soil and production conditions of Asturias mean that agricultural holdings are spread to a greater
or lesser extent throughout these municipalities, which means that rural population centres are small
and dispersed, as are the plots of land.

Traditionally, cider apples have been grown in Asturias in extensive farming mixed with natural grass-
land. Because holdings there are small, this combination of livestock farming and the production of
apples for cider has exerted considerable socio-economic influence on the countryside by generating
extra income on family holdings and checking to some extent the flight from the land by providing
an occupation which cares for the environment and retains population.

As in the case of plantations of cider apples, presses have historically been small-scale on holdings
which produce cider for family consumption on the farm. This practice has gradually dropped into
desuetude and now presses are concentrated close to infrastructure and with more appropriate
services for industrial operation.

4.4 Pr oof of or i g i n:

The products (natural cider and cider) protected by the designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias/Sidra
d'Asturies’ are manufactured from cider apples of the varieties authorised under the relevant Regu-
lation that have been obtained on parcels registered with the Regulatory Council; the cider is manu-
factured in registered establishments located in the area of production and manufacture, which have
proved satisfactory on the basis of manufacturing and processing tests relating to varieties, growing
techniques, raw materials, pressing, manufacturing processes, bottling and labelling, in accordance
with the processing practices laid down in the quality specifications drawn up by the Regulatory
Council.

Care should be taken to check in particular that the carbon dioxide gas incorporated in the cider is
exclusively that produced endogenously in the process of fermentation of the must, and that it is
added after collection, purification, compression, filtration and storage, and before bottling. All these
procedures should be checked in accordance with the instructions in the quality manual of the Regu-
latory Council, which lays down minimum requirements for techniques of analysis for the detection
of carbon dioxide gas, through the determination of stable light isotopes and the C13/C12 ratio, which
provides evidence of the origin of the incorporated gas.

Certification involves visual inspection, checking of documents and sampling of the product. Ciders
obtaining the certificate may be marketed under a label bearing the logo of the Regulatory Council
and the words ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida Sidra de Asturias’; the container will be labelled
with a serial number provided by the Council.

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4.5. M e th od of p r odu c ti on:

The cider is produced from varieties of cider apple traditionally grown in the production area within
the following technological groups: sweet, sour, bitter, sour/bitter, bitter/sweet, bitter/semi-sour, semi-
sour and semi-sour/bitter.

The successive stages in the manufacture of the cider are washing and crushing the apples; obtaining
natural must by pressing; fermentation; decanting; clarifying; filtering with permitted products and
materials; bottling.

The cider may be carbonated using CO2 produced endogenously during the manufacturing process,
in accordance with the conditions laid down in this document, the specifications and the quality
manual.

Requiring cider to be bottled in the ‘Sidra de Asturias’ PDO designated area is intended to protect the
reputation of the designation by guaranteeing both the authenticity of the product and the mainte-
nance of its quality and characteristics, which the beneficiaries assume fully and collectively through
the Consejo Regulador set up for that purpose.

It ensure inspection and traceability of the products obtained, so avoiding any possibility of mixture
with products from elsewhere, since the inspections in the area of production under the responsibility
of the beneficiaries of the designation of origin are scrupulous and systematic and carried out with a
thorough knowledge of the characteristics of the product.

Similarly, the fact that cider may include only CO2 which is produced endogenously during the
manufacturing process, entails the use of appropriate equipment alongside the bottling plant so that
it would be inconvenient, and greatly complicate the inspection process, if it were transported to
other bottling plants with the risk of the process being ‘adulterated’.

Permitted practices

1. Must

(a) Obtaining must by pressing cider apples of a permitted variety or a mixture of permitted vari-

eties.

(b) Application of cold and inert gases to preserve natural musts.

(c) Filtering and clarifying with authorised materials and pectic enzymes.

(d) Correction of musts using authorised substances.

(e) Concentration of musts obtained by pressing of varieties authorised for sweetening.

2. Cider

(a) Mixture of protected ciders.

(b) Practices involved in manufacture, decanting, clarifying, filtering.

(c) Use of cold treatments.

(d) Correction using authorised substances.

(e) Use of inert gases (nitrogen) for preservation of ciders.

(f) Fermentation with selected yeasts.

(g) Incorporation of carbon dioxide gas before bottling. Only gas of endogenous origin, produced

during the fermentation of the must, may be used.

(h) Addition of up to 80g of sugar per litre, for sweetening, in the form of sugar syrup, natural must
or concentrated apple must, up to a maximum proportion by volume of one part of solution to
ten of cider base.

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3. Natural cider

(a) Mixtures of protected natural ciders.

(b) Traditional practices of pressing, decanting, clarifying and filtering.

(c) The use of cold treatments.

(d) Correction with authorised substances.

(e) The use of inert gases (nitrogen) for the preservation of ciders.

(f) Fermentation with selected yeasts.

Prohibited practices

1. Musts

(a) Any operation that changes the natural sugar content of natural apple musts.

(b) Any mixture, in any proportion, of natural musts and concentrated musts.

(c) Artificial flavouring of musts.

(d) Pasteurisation.

2. Cider

(a) Artificially increasing the natural alcohol content.

(b) Correction and/or addition of unauthorised products.

(c) Addition of water at any stage of production.

(d) Addition of wine, fermented fruit and/or alcohol from any source.

(e) Use of artificial sweeteners and dextrin.

(f) Use of colouring other than caramelised sugar.

(g) Use of esters, flavourings and similar substances of any type or origin.

(h) Pasteurisation.

(i) Addition of carbon dioxide of exogenous origin.

3. Natural cider

(a) All the practices listed under section 2.

(b) Addition of carbon dioxide of any origin.

(c) Use of sugar of any type or origin.

Natural cider must have the following physico-chemical properties:

Volatile acidity: < 2,0 g/l acetic acid. Alcohol content: > 5 % (v/v). Total sulphur dioxide:
< 150 mg/l. Carbon dioxide pressure in bottle (20o C): > 0,5 atm.

Cider must have the following physico-chemical properties:

Volatile acidity: < 2,0 g/l acetic acid. Alcohol content: > 5 % (v/v). Total sulphur dioxide:
< 200 mg/l. Carbon dioxide pressure in bottle (20o C): > 3 atm.

4.6 L i nk:

4.6.1. Historical:

Asturias is Spain's major cider-producing region, accounting for 80 % of national output. The
history of the region is closely linked to cider apple growing and the manufacture of cider, as
is clear from the reports by the geographer Strabo in 60 BC.

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4.6.2. Natural:

Over the centuries, Asturian farmers have selected varieties from trees obtained from seed,
without grafting, choosing the most productive, best suited to the environment and producing
the best quality cider apples. It is the features of different varieties (sweet, bitter-sweet, bitter,
semi-acid, semi-acid/bitter, bitter/semi-acid, acid, acid/bitter and bitter/acid) and all
the
resulting mixtures which give Asturian ciders their special semi-acid character.

The inclusion in the designation of the two products (natural cider and cider) results from the
quality rules in Spain (Ministerial Order of 1 September 1979) which differentiates between
them on the basis that ‘cider’ may be produced with exogenous CO2, either added or from any
source.

The two types of cider covered by the designation start from the designation ‘natural cider’. In
the case of ‘cider’, CO2, whether recovered from the fermentation process (so solely endo-
genous) and the addition of a small quantity of sugar syrup. The raw material, the production
technology and the industrial equipment are virtually the same, although ‘natural cider’
is
much older, with ‘ciders’ with added CO2 appearing with the advances in technology and
research achieved in the nineteenth-century.

The geographical name ‘Asturias’ is historically linked to the manufacture and consumption of
cider in Spain, since it is the region which accounts for largest share of production.

4.6.3. Human factor:

Cider is the third most important product, in terms of turnover, in the Asturian food and agri-
culture sector. Natural cider is produced in traditional presses, of which Asturias possesses 106
on a commercial scale. Family tradition is particularly strong,
in that over 60 % of these
presses were inherited by their owners. The most common legal form is the sole proprietor-
ship; only about 10 % take the form of an incorporated or limited company. Asturias accounts
for 93 % of the total natural cider market. Cider production is largely accounted for by 10
firms, which together represent 61 % of the total turnover of the sector. The national market
absorbs about 80 % of output, with some 13-14 % being exported and the remaining 7 %
consumed in the region of Asturias.

4.7 In sp ec tio n bo d y:

Name:

Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) ‘Sidra de Asturias’.

Address:

C/Avenida de las Callejas, no 3 — Planta plaza
E 33300 Villaviciosa — Asturias

Telephone:

(34) 985 89 32 08

Fax:

(34) 985 89 31 70

E-mail:

info@sidradeasturias.es

The Regulatory Committee for the protected designation ‘Sidra de Asturias’ complies with standard
EN-45011.

4.8 L a b e lli n g :

To avoid misleading consumers, labels for cider must comply with the Order of 1 August 1979
concerning ciders and other drinks derived from apples. Under Article 17, the compulsory indications
on bottles include the designation ‘cider’ or ‘natural cider’, as appropriate.

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The name of the designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias’ must appear clearly and set apart on the
labels and stickers on bottled ciders, along with the details required under the applicable legislation.

The consumer can clearly distinguish the type of cider by the presentation, since the bottle closure is
different. Since the pressure in a bottle of ‘cider’ is over three atmospheres, the sealing system must
naturally be different, like the form of the bottle which contains it.

In any case, the PDO ‘Sidra de Asturias’ must appear on the labels of all protected ciders which meet
the requirements of the approved implementing Regulation. Furthermore, in accordance with the
general rules on labelling and the presentation of food products, ‘cider’ or ‘natural cider’, as appro-
priate, must appear.

All bottles containing cider protected by the PDO shall be marketed under a numbered control label
issued by the Regulatory Council.

Labels liable to mislead the consumer, in any way, shall not be approved; the Regulatory Council may
withdraw approval of labels it had formerly authorised.

4.9 N a ti ona l r e q u i r e me nt s:

The protected designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias’ must comply with the following legal provi-
sions:

Law 25/1970 of 2 December 1970, Statute governing vineyards, wine and spirits, and the
implementing rules set out in Decree 835/1972 of 23 March 1972.

Decree 835/1972 of 23 March 1972 implementing Law 25/1970.

National legal
provisions

Order of 25 January 1994, setting out the table of correspondence between Spanish legislation
and Regulation (EEC) No 2081/1992, on geographical indications and designations of origin
for agricultural food products.

Royal Decree 1643/1999, of 22 October 1999, regulating procedures for applications for
registration in the Community register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected
Geographical Indications.

1. ORDER of 1 August 1979 (BOE of 28 August), approving the rules for cider and other drinks

derived from apples.

— Corrigenda published in BOE of 21 September 1979.

— Amended by:

— Order of 27 July 1984 (cf. point 2).

— Order of 24 September 1985 (cf. point 3).

— Derogation from specifications for admitted tolerances for alcohol content laid down in Article

17: Royal Decree 1045/1990 [cf. I, 9].

— Derogation from point 2 of paragraph A); points 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 of paragraph B); and,

point 6 of paragraph C) of Article 6 of Chapter III: Royal Decree 145/1997 [cf. VIII, 7].

2. ORDER of 27 July 1984 (BOE of 7 August), partially amending Article 9 of the Order of 1

August 1979 (cf. point 1).

3. ORDER of 24 September 1985 (BOE of 16 October), amending Chapter VII of the Order of 1

August 1979 (cf. point 1).