On 30 March, the German city of Frankfurt hosted one of the world's most important apple beverage competitions, Cider World 2019, where, as in previous years, a Latvian winery – "Abavas" – took home the laurels.

This year, the jury (consisting of food industry professionals, educators, and experts in the wine and HoReCa industries from various countries) determined the best entries from among more than 500 beverages of different styles, based on the competition's strictly defined criteria.

In the final evaluation, both the Abavas winery's "Ābols apiņos" sparkling wine and its "Premium Brut" cider were awarded silver medals, which confirms the high quality of the beverages. "Ābols apiņos" received 105 points out of a maximum of 108, while "Premium Brut" received 99 points.

The competition provides winners with opportunities not only to promote their country and beverage production traditions but also to expand their export markets.

In 2018, the Abavas winery operated with a 20% growth compared to 2017, reaching a turnover of 776 thousand euros. The winery focuses its operations on promoting tasting tourism, growing export markets and expanding its product range. This year, the winery will continue to "conquer" new foreign markets by starting the export of its beverages to Great Britain.

In the Latvian market, "Abavas" received the "Lielais Jēkabs" annual award from the Kurzeme Tourism Association for the best tourism object in the category "Tasting in Kurzeme 2018".