Hopp til hovedinnholdet

Division of Food Production and Society

Uncorking wine & cider typicality

Some of the brands from the more than twenty cider producers in the Hardanger region. The cider production has increased substantially here in the last 10-15 years. Photo: Kjersti Kildahl
Finished Last updated: 29.04.2021
End: sep 2023
Start: oct 2020

Uncorking rural heritage: indigenous production of fermented beverages for local cultural and environmental sustainability is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

Project partners

University of Nova Gorica,

The Wine Research Centre and Faculty for Viticulture and Enology (Slovenia)

The municipality of Ajdovscina (Slovenia)

Local development agency in the city of Pozega (Croatia)

Polytechnic in Pozega (Croatia)

Tikves Winery (North Macedonia)

NIBIO (Norway)

Nofima (Norway)

Hardangerrådet (Norway)

Hardanger Siderprodusentlag (Norway)

Start - end date 01.10.2020 - 30.09.2023
Project manager Assistant Professor Dr. Lorena Butinar, University of Nova Gorica
Project manager at Nibio Ingunn Øvsthus
Division Division of Food Production and Society
Department Horticulture
Total budget 1 500 998 €
Funding source The EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation

Typicality of agricultural products, particularly fermented beverages, is used around the world to bring value to local products, develop the local economy and preserve local demography.  This project aims to foster the development of rural areas by improving common research capacity and knowledge dissemination applied to the “terroir” approach for wine and cider production in selected areas of Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia and Norway.

Valorisation based on typicality determination of wines and cider produced in rural areas in Balkan and Norway will be achieved through transnational cooperation and knowledge exchange. A common e-training platform and 2 research and development centres, in Balkan and Hardanger, will be set up to concentrate professional knowledge and ensure transfer of knowledge to local producers and communities. 

The Cider support centre located at NIBIO Ullensvang will be the first technical platform in the Hardanger region offering the possibility to cider producers to assess the quality of their products according to international standards. The centre will offer sensory assessment and basic chemical analysis of cider.   

DSCF0713.JPG
NIBIO Ullensvang's administration building to the right. Some of NIBIO's orchards are seen between the church and the fjord. Foto: Kjersti Kildahl
DSCF8527.JPG
Blossoming apple trees in the orchard at NIBIO Ullensvang. Foto: Kjersti Kildahl
DSCF0764.JPG
Part of the project is also to establish a national research and development center for cider at NIBIO Ullensvang. A first step towards a sensory panel was taken in December 2020. From the left, Kjetil Widding, representing the cider producers, Trude Rinaldo, Hardanger Council, Eyvind Vangdal, cider-consultant and retired NIBIO-researcher, and on the right, project manager at NIBIO, Ingunn Øvsthus.