Txotx season, a real pleasure!

An abundant and special harvest that can be tasted during the Txotx Season.

6 million kg of local apples have been collected, for the production of 4 million liters with the Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin.

Today's presentation is the result of the work carried out by the sector as a whole, with enthusiasm and passion. Today we have called this press conference with the representation of all the Cider Cellars of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba and for this we have also attended representatives of the Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin, Sagardoaren Lurraldea - Cider Territory and the representatives of the Associations from the cider cellars of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, the Sagardoa Route –Route of Cider- and representatives of the apple producer associations. Some cider houses have already started the Txotx season and little by little they will all do so.

The Txotx season is special because it offers cider lovers and all customers a special format to enjoy cider, taste and share new ciders, in a social format, among friends, related to a time of the year that we mark in our calendar. The Txotx Season is also special for the cider cellars because it is the optimal setting to allow the public to taste the new cider. It is a unique opportunity to publicize the cider house, the work of the cider makers and cider in general.

Tasting the new ciders, the essence of the Txotx Season

Cider houses have an important uniqueness: they are the cellars that produce the product that is offered to be tasted, cider. Therefore, those who visit a cider house will have the pleasure of enjoying an authentic tradition, at the hands of the same producer who made it, they have picked the apples and created the products that evolve in the different kupelak at home.

How has the 2023 harvest been?

It has been abundant and very special due to the October temperature that has caused a somewhat lower production than expected although abundant, with an earlier ripening compared to previous years.

- 4 million liters have been produced with the Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin.

- A total of 50 cider houses produce cider with the Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin: 2 in Araba, 3 in Bizkaia and 45 in Gipuzkoa.

- 250 apple producers with a total of 500 hectares in production. In this last campaign, 6 million kg of local apples have been harvested.

- It is not easy to define the new cider, with 106 authorized varieties, different production areas, practices that define each cellar and increasing diversification. But in general we can talk about an abundant vintage, with somewhat less alcohol and body; and very aromatic.

Different ways to enjoy the cider house

To facilitate making reservations at the cider houses, we have created a reservation center and a search engine: www.sagardoa.eus. In it you can indicate the reservation date and the cider houses with availability for that day will automatically appear. This engine has already been implemented by many cider houses, thus changing the way they manage reservations with a small advance payment of €5 or €10 that is discounted after the final price. As a novelty, we will also offer guided tastings and visits to cider houses before lunch/dinner.

And to facilitate the purchase of the product, we have the online store at euskalsagardoa.eus with more than 90 different ciders. We have gastronomic ciders, canned ciders, signature ciders, wood-enriched ciders, single-varietal ciders, bi-varietal ciders, ice ciders, sparkling ciders... that you can taste at home in just one click!