The classic panettone of the pastry shop El Rusc, located in the small town of Els Alamús (Lleida), has been chosen as the best panettone of 2025 in the blind tasting organized annually by the gastronomic divulgator Anna Mayer (Panepanna) in A Coruña.
This artisan sweet has achieved the unanimity of both the professional and the popular jury, in a tasting in which both industrial and artisan panettones participated.
The event, held last Saturday, November 29, brought together a selection of twelve panettones: six of artisan elaboration and six of industrial production. Unlike other competitions in the sector, such as the one organized by the Gremi de Pastisseria de Barcelona, this tasting evaluates final products, already packaged and available to the consumer.
El Rusc’s, made by Ukrainian pastry chef Iana Gruzinenko and Pep Pujol, stood out above all for its “balance”, according to the organizer.
“We found it to be the most balanced: sweet aroma, but not syrupy, citrus touch, and a soft crumb that is not sponge-like,” Mayer noted in her blog.
Second place went to Suca’l (Barcelona) and third place to the panettone from Argüelles (Gijón).
How much does the best panettone in Spain cost in 2025?
The price of the winning product of El Rusc is around 30 euros per kilo, and the half kilo 20 euros, with or without icing. In addition, this year 5 euros per unit are donated to IRB Lleida.
You can only buy them in their store in Alamús, in 4 versions: classic with raisins and candied orange, lemon with limoncello and white chocolate, dark chocolate and coffee with caramelized chocolate.
If you are in Barcelona, the Suca’l without icing costs 48 euros per kilo, in their stores in Barcelona.
Beyond the ranking, the event has a pedagogical vocation. Anna Mayer has underlined in her publication the regulatory differences between Italy and Spain. While in Italy the Decree of July 22, 2005 requires the exclusive use of butter (minimum 16%), fresh eggs of category A and sourdough in order to label a product as panettone, in Spain there is no such regulation.
“In Spain anyone can make something with margarine and pasteurized egg and sell it as panettone,” Mayer warned, recalling that the essential elements for a quality panettone are raisins, candied citrus, butter and a proper fermentation that gives the characteristic texture that frays.