Cerezas de la Montaña de Alicante

PGI Cerezas de la Montaña de Alicantegrow in a mild Mediterranean microclimate with high rainfall, cold temperatures in winter and mild temperatures in spring, many hours of sunshine and above-average limestone soil. Nature helps the cultivation of this exceptional cherry, to which the climate, water and soil of the territory confer precocity and whose average annual production ranges between 1.5 and 4 million kg.

Introduced by the Romans and developed in the Arab period, the cherry season runs from mid-April to the end of July. The predominant varieties are Burlat, as an early variety, and Stark Hardy Geant, as a mid-season variety.

The production area is located in the north of the province of Alicante and the south of the province of Valencia and includes the municipalities of Vall de Gallinera, Planes, Benimarfull, Vall d’Alcalá, Almudaina, Vall d’Ebo, Ibi, Alcoy, Jijona, Muro de Alcoy and Villena in Alicante and Ontinyent and Bocairent in Valencia.

Montaña de Alicante cherries are grown in the north of the province of Alicante and the south of the province of Valencia, in a rainfed area with a low incidence of pests and diseases where the special characteristics of the soil and the mild Mediterranean climate provide a product of exceptional quality. Nature favours the cultivation of cherries in this area, with careful manual harvesting to protect and select the fruit when it reaches optimum ripeness. Montaña de Alicante cherries are the earliest cherries and are characterised by their sweetness, juicy, firm flesh, thin skin and deep red colour.

Since 1991, the Protected Geographical Indication Cerezas de La Montaña de Alicante has been certifying the exquisite quality of its cherries, distinguishing them with its PGI quality mark to guarantee the quality linked to the origin and sustainability of the production and harvesting methods of the fruit.

Alicante Mountain cherries have a nutritional composition that provides multiple benefits to our health, mainly due to their high anthocyanin content, which confers great antioxidant power. This same substance is responsible for their purifying properties, as they also help to eliminate toxins, combat constipation, regulate blood sugar levels and strengthen the immune system.

Alicante cherries are grown in a landscape of mountainous relief, with a succession of valleys and peaks under the influence of the Mediterranean Sea. The marked orography, mountainous and irregular, gives rise to terraces carved out of the mountainside that allow only a single line of trees. All this forms a defined image that reaches its maximum splendour during the blooming season.

Every spring the Fiesta de la Cereza (Cherry Festival) is held, where this fruit is honoured with talks, competitions, activities and visits to cherry orchards and packing warehouses to show a totally artisanal handling process.

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