The campaign usually begins in autumn and changes with the variety, the farm and the weather. The apple is picked—canned—when it reaches adequate ripeness. In the winery, fruits in poor condition, excessively green or with dirt that compromise the must are discarded.

Mixing varieties is not improvising. The sweet, sour and bitter profiles provide sugars, freshness, structure and phenolic compounds. The recipe of each winery seeks balance and regularity between different harvests.

After washing and sorting, the apple goes to the mill or crusher. The result, the magaya, is taken to the press. There the must begins to flow: it is the sweet cider or cider of the duernu, still unfermented.

Traditional wooden presses coexist with stainless steel hydraulic and pneumatic systems. The tool changes; The objective remains to extract a clean must without unnecessarily mistreating the raw material.

The must goes into barrels or tanks. Yeasts and bacteria transform sugars and malic acid: first the alcoholic fermentation occurs and, later or in an underhanded manner, the malolactic fermentation. The winery controls temperature, density, acidity and sensory evolution.

During the winter, racking can be carried out to separate sediments, correct deviations and harmonize lots. It is not about simply waiting, but about accompanying a living product.

When the cider is stable and expresses the desired profile, it is prepared for bottling. Traditional natural cider retains carbon dioxide of endogenous origin and does not receive added sugar within the definition protected by the PDO.

In natural sparkling ciders, a second fermentation—in a bottle or pressurized tank—creates a different style, with persistent bubbles and a different way of serving.