A honey produced in Tenerife has been named the best in Spain at the 12th Mieladictos National Honey Competition, beating 11 other finalists in a blind tasting.
The winning entry was Oromiel, a chestnut honey produced by local beekeeper Juan Jesús Ramos Fariña. The final took place on Saturday, 7 November, in Valladolid, with 102 beekeepers from across Spain entering this year’s competition.
The judges assessed the honey without knowing who had produced it or where it came from. No labels, no local loyalties and no clues. Just the honey itself.
Oromiel came out on top in a final featuring a wide range of varieties, including orange blossom, lavender, forest, carob, coriander and high-mountain honeys.
The winning three
Tenerife took first place, but there was plenty of competition from elsewhere.
Second place went to Dezabellas, a multifloral honey produced by Álvaro Martínez García in Pontevedra.
Third place was awarded to Api Nava, a heather honey from beekeeper Ariadna Nava Siles in Burgos.
The final was held at the Q-BO venue, home of Alimentos de Valladolid, which sponsored this year’s competition.
A panel of six judges
The winning honey was selected by six professionals with backgrounds in honey, food and gastronomy.
The panel included Ana Pascual, lecturer and coordinator of the Human Nutrition and Dietetics degree at Isabel I University in Burgos; biologist and amateur beekeeper José Luis Máñez; and honey specialist Susana Menéndez.
They were joined by journalist Miriam F. Rivas, creator of Voraz Magazine; Patricia Coméndez, sommelier at Alquimia restaurant; and chef and restaurant owner Emilio Martín of Suite 22.
New awards recognise the wider honey industry
This year’s competition also introduced three additional awards, recognising young beekeeping, education and specialist honey retailers.
The young beekeeper award went to Adrián García Hernantes of Miel Valle Hondo for a multifloral honey from Burgos. He started keeping bees at just 14, initially with five hives.
The award for educational work went to Adalid Apícola, a project run by Raquel Adalid and Rodrigo Baldominos in La Alcarria.
The specialist retailer award was presented to Mielería Secretos de Abejas in Cabezón de la Sal, Cantabria. Run by Inés Fernández, the business works with products from around 30 producers across Spain and Portugal.
The public gets a taste
For the first time, the event also included a public tasting session.
All 30 places were snapped up within days of registration opening. Organised by the Valladolid Beekeepers Association, the session gave visitors the chance to explore the differences in aroma, flavour, colour and texture between various types of honey.
It’s a particularly good result for Tenerife, with a locally produced chestnut honey coming out ahead of entries from across the country in a competition where the judges didn’t know what they were tasting.