A total of 23 wines from three islands took part in the regional competition, whose jury has already completed the tastings and will soon announce the prize-winning products.
The Canary Islands cider sector is awaiting the jury’s decision at the 3rd Official Agrocanarian Cider Competition, an event which has brought together some of the best cider creations from the Canary Islands and which continues to consolidate itself as the main showcase for this emerging product within the Canary Islands’ agri-food sector.
The competition, organised by the Instituto Canario de Calidad Agroalimentaria (ICCA) in collaboration with the Town Council of Valleseco, has already held the tasting sessions, in which nine specialists analysed a total of 23 ciders produced by seven companies from the Canary Islands. Now all that remains is to wait for the publication of the results, which will determine which will receive the top distinctions of this year’s edition.
Gran Canaria leads in participation
The samples presented come from three different islands. Gran Canaria concentrates the largest representation with 18 elaborations, followed by La Palma with four references and Tenerife with one sample.
The participating products compete in three main categories: natural ciders, carbonated ciders and sparkling ciders, reflecting the growing diversity and specialisation that this sector is achieving in the Canary Islands.
A sector in full growth
During the opening of the competition, the director of the ICCA, Luis Arráez Guadalupe, highlighted the evolution of cider production in the Islands in recent years thanks to the use of local apples, the work of small producers and the search for new opportunities for diversification within the primary sector.
There are currently thirteen cider presses in the Canary Islands, distributed between Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro, a reality that demonstrates the consolidation of an activity that only a few years ago had a token presence in the archipelago.
Promotion-boosting awards
The competition includes the awarding of Grand Gold Medals, Gold Medals and Silver Medals, as well as special awards such as Best Cider of the Canary Islands 2026, Best Organic Cider of the Canary Islands and the prize for Best Image and Presentation.
The award-winning cider producers will be able to use the official award badge for a year and will participate in different promotional activities organised by the ICCA. In addition, the cider that obtains the maximum recognition will be featured in a special report aimed at strengthening its visibility in both specialised and general media.
Valleseco once again becomes the cider capital of the Canary Islands
The celebration of the competition coincided with a new edition of the Regional Cider Fair of the Canary Islands, an event that continues to strengthen the image of Valleseco as the main cider reference in the archipelago.
The fair brings together producers, catering companies and visitors around an extensive programme of activities that includes tastings, samplings, gastronomic exhibitions and proposals aimed at promoting the cider culture and its link with local gastronomy.
In the meantime, the sector is awaiting the official announcement of the results of the competition, which will reveal which ciders have best convinced the panel of experts and which will represent the excellence of this Canary Island production over the coming year.
