Today, the great cider day was held in Plaza de la Constitución in Donostia, bringing together around 4,000 people.
Visitors were able to taste cider from 32 cider houses, Euskal Sagardoa Protected Designation of Origin cider, the first must of the 2026 harvest, apple chocolates and Eusko Label pintxos, all in the unique atmosphere that characterizes this historic event.
The event was organized by the Gipuzkoa Cider House Association, together with Sagardoa Route – the route of Basque Cider - and the Euskal Sagardoa Protected Designation of Origin, Donostia City Council, Donostia Festak, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the Basque Government and Laboral Kutxa.
The 32 cider houses belonging to the Gipuzkoa Cider House Association offered the public their finest ciders from the 2025 harvest. Accompanied by the music of trikitilari musicians and bertsolaris, approximately 6,000 bottles were served, together with a variety of pintxos with Basatxerri pork chorizo and pork loin, as well as PDO Idiazabal cheese.
The event was attended by a number of special guests, including Jon Intxausti, Mayor of Donostia; Jakes Agirrezabal, Deputy Minister for Tourism and Trade; Raúl Pérez de Iratxeta, Deputy Minister for Food and Rural Development; Nora Beltrán de Otalora, Director of Food Quality and Promotion; Raimundo Ruiz de Escudero, Director of HAZI Fundazioa; Azahara Domínguez, Provincial Deputy for Mobility, Tourism and Territorial Planning of Gipuzkoa; Joseba Aranburu, Director of Agriculture and Territorial Balance of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa; mayors and representatives of the municipalities of Astigarraga, Andoain, Hernani, Usurbil, Urnieta, Ataun and Asteasu; members of the Gipuzkoa Hospitality Association; representatives of the Euskal Sagardoa Protected Designation of Origin; and other stakeholders and representatives from agriculture, the agri-food industry and the hospitality sector.
In addition to the tasting in the square, the Gipuzkoa Cider House Association organized several activities to showcase the millenary art of cider making and explain its meaning, secrets and value. One example was the production of cider using traditional methods. Ander and Aitor Altuna and Axen Urretabizkaia were responsible for carrying out this activity. To do so, they picked apples from Félix San Sebastián’s apple orchard in Altzo and brought them to the square. All the cider enthusiasts gathered there were able to taste the first must made from the 2026 harvest.
The most moving moment of the day was the tribute to the producers JABIER ANSORENA and MARIAN MATAS from the RUFINO cider house in HERNANI. They received the Association’s commemorative pin from its President and Board of Directors. At 12:30 p.m., raising their glasses, the official toast took place with cider producers, institutional representatives, guests and the honorees. The owners of these cider houses have dedicated their lives to cider.
Cider houses participating in the Donostia Sagardo Eguna
- Aburuza (Aduna)
- Akarregi (Hernani)
- Alorrenea (Astigarraga)
- Altuna (Urnieta)
- Altzueta (Hernani)
- Añota (Azpeitia)
- Astarbe (Astigarraga)
- Astiazaran (Zubieta)
- Barkaiztegi (Donostia)
- Calonge (Donostia)
- Etxeberria (Astigarraga)
- Gartziategi (Astigarraga)
- Gaztañaga (Andoain)
- Gurutzeta (Astigarraga)
- Iparragirre (Hernani)
- Izeta (Aia)
- Lizeaga (Astigarraga)
- Mizpiradi (Andoain)
- Oianume (Urnieta)
- Oiarbide (Astigarraga)
- Oiharte (Zerain)
- Ola (Irun)
- Petritegi (Astigarraga)
- Rezola (Astigarraga)
- Rufino (Hernani)
- Saizar (Usurbil)
- Satxota (Aia)
- Tximista (Ordizia)
- Urbitarte (Ataun)
- Urdaira (Usurbil)
- Zabala (Aduna)
- Zelaia (Hernani)
LABORAL KUTXA in collaboration with EUSKAL SAGARDOA
For this edition, thanks to the collaboration of LABORAL KUTXA, chocolates made with cider by the historic Maitiana Chocolaterie were offered alongside the first must of the 2026 harvest. Maitiana collaborates with Sagardoa Route -the Route of Basque Cider - by offering workshops on how to make these chocolates.
Eusko Label pintxos by Txomin Parrilla
During the event, Txomin Parrilla prepared pork loin and cooked Basatxerri pork chorizo. Alongside these pintxos, prepared by the Arizmendi family from Ordizia, the family of Itziar Etxeberria offered a stall selling PDO Idiazabal cheese pintxos.
Basque Cider Route: Information point and tours into the world of Basque cider
This year, the stand providing general information about cider and cider houses also served as an opportunity for Sagardoa Route to present the products of its more than 50 member cider houses, which produce 192 different ciders: natural, organic, sparkling, aged, wood-aged and
hop-infused ciders, PDO ciders, 0.0 ciders and organic juice, among others. Discount vouchers for the online cider shop were also provided to anyone wishing to have cider delivered to their home.
September and the Sagardo Eguna also provide the perfect opportunity, both for locals and visitors, not only to taste cider at its peak but also to discover the characteristics of the product: a low-alcohol, refreshing drink that fortunately retains many of the characteristics and benefits of the apple.
At this information point, visitors were also able to learn more about cider tourism experiences. An increasing number of cider houses are offering these types of experiences and tourism products related to cider culture. Bookings for guided visits to cider houses have increased by 84%, online table reservations by 15%, and online cider sales by 19%.
Guided visits to cider houses continue to be a popular option among groups of local consumers. Catalonia stands out as the region purchasing the most cider through the online channel, accounting for 28% of purchases. Meanwhile, local consumers...
Against the backdrop of new markets, Sagardoa Route was created as a project to renew the cider sector. It works to strengthen its structure, facilitate its adaptation to new scenarios, and bring tradition into line with the present day and with the different types of cider consumers, whose profile is becoming increasingly diverse.
As a result of defining the gastronomic and cultural experiences available at cider houses, Sagardoa Route has presented a wide range of tourism products. A journey back to our origins, the authenticity and genuineness of the experience, and proximity to the customer are the key strengths of this project. The opportunity to discover some of the oldest and most traditional trades in our land, always presented and adapted to modern times; to meet the people who carry them out; to taste their products; and to enjoy the exceptional landscapes offered by the Basque Country are at the heart of the Basque Cider Route and the sector’s offering.
There are now 61 cider houses located in different parts of the Basque territories that form part of the BASQUE CIDER ROUTE project. The cider produced there over the centuries bears witness to the origins and history of Euskal Herria. All the information is available at www.sagardoa.eus.
Euskal Sagardoa Protected Designation of Origin – the major commitment
The Euskal Sagardoa Protected Designation of Origin – Basque Cider celebrated its ninth harvest in 2025, and it is this harvest that can be tasted during the Donostia Cider Day. Ciders made with local apples will have a special role in Plaza de la Constitución: each cider house will offer ciders made with apples from its own orchards and from neighboring farms. These will include ciders made with a single apple variety and with two varieties, ciders made from apples grown in specific plots, wood-aged ciders, and ciders aged on the lees of the previous harvest, among others.
In addition to producing high-quality ciders, cider houses have also taken an important step towards diversifying their products, with a strong commitment to local apples, and Donostia is the perfect place to explain all this work.
Following the approach of recent years, the Regulatory Council is working to achieve a greater presence for these products both on retail shelves and in the hospitality sector, together with cider producers, while explaining the work being carried out to consumers and offering tastings of all the products produced by the sector.
The 2025 harvest in the bottle and the 2026 harvest in the orchard
Today’s event featured tastings of the 2025 harvest in Plaza de la Constitución. Euskal Sagardoa, cider with Protected Designation of Origin was the star of the event.
Last year’s harvest was abundant, with cider producers in Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba producing 3.1 million litres from 4.35 million kilograms of apples. It was an aromatic and balanced cider harvest. The ciders are currently at a very suitable stage for consumers, having evolved appropriately in the bottle.
Donostia has the particularity that the cider is served directly by the cider producers themselves, allowing visitors to learn about the characteristics of the product directly from the producers.
The Donostia Sagardo Eguna takes place on the same date as the beginning of the new apple harvest. Most cider houses will begin making cider in the coming days, although some have already started due to the earlier ripening of the fruit.
Unlike last year, there has been little rain, and the fruit is smaller in size. Production is expected to be lower than in 2025, with differences between different areas. Some areas of Araba, together with the Goierri area of Gipuzkoa, have the largest quantity of apples, while lower production is expected in the rest of Gipuzkoa and in Bizkaia.
Apple needs and new opportunities
The Euskal Sagardoa Protected Designation of Origin is currently undergoing an expansion process. At this stage, the inclusion of the Iparralde area within the Protected Designation of Origin has already been proposed, pending a response from the European Union. At the same time, work is underway on the subsequent inclusion of Navarre in the Euskal Sagardoa Protected Designation of Origin.
To this end, the MALUS BAT project has been developed. As part of this project, work has been carried out on the Strategic Plan for apples and cider, as well as the tourism strategy for cider houses.
The conclusions are clear: the sector has significant future potential, but it is essential to increase apple production and position the producer as what it truly is: a quality product with the properties provided by local apples.
The foundation of this process is local apple production and the challenges we face along the way: quality, balancing harvests, knowledge of apple varieties, optimization of different orchard models for our environment, generational renewal and profitability.
This profitability must adapt to the new times, to the current situation of farmsteads and small businesses.
Collaboration between Laboral Kutxa and Euskal Sagardoa
Euskal Sagardoa and Laboral Kutxa have signed a collaboration agreement to support the promotion of Basque cider.
Specifically, Laboral Kutxa will collaborate in the organization of the “Sagardo Eguna” (Cider Day) events, helping to strengthen the brand image, promote quality ciders made with local apples, and continue to drive the comprehensive management of these initiatives.
As part of this partnership, Laboral Kutxa will highlight the collaboration and offer special gifts to the public at the Cider Day events in both Donostia and Ordizia: it will give away “Donostia” chocolates to visitors who come to taste the new must in Donostia, and offer a special gift to attendees in Ordizia.
This collaboration began in 2026 with the intention of maintaining it over the long term.