Guided visits in Basque Cider Houses
Did you know that you can visit several of the cider houses in Gipuzkoa accompanied by a Sagardoa Route guide?
Through these visits you will be able to get to know this ancestral natural drink of the Basques in depth, its production process and you will also get to know those who produce it with such care.
You will visit the apple orchard, the production area, the different cellars and of course you will do a guided tasting of different ciders. To put the icing on the cake, you will have the opportunity to taste the traditional cider house menu that is made up of: cod omelette, fried cod with peppers, T-bone steak and for dessert: walnuts, Idiazabal cheese and quince.
Below, I propose the different cider houses in Gipuzkoa that you can visit accompanied by an expert guide:
Aburuza is located in a privileged vantage point, protected by the slopes of the mountain and with a spectacular panoramic view from Mount Adarra to the Aralar Range, crowned by the Txindoki. Aburuza, built between apple orchards, offers us the perfect overview of the evolution of the history of cider. From the old farmhouse to the current winery. We will walk through the passageways, learn about the way this house works and taste all the products it makes, among which the Euskal Sagardoa Denomination of Origin stands out, produced with great care by Juan Joxe and his two sons Ibon and Josu Aburuza. We will end the visit with the delicious cider house menu.
Astarbe Sagardotegia is located on the banks of the old Royal Road in Astigarraga, 6 km from San Sebastian. It is a cider house with a long cider-making tradition. The first historical allusions to this cider house, which has a high-quality gastronomic offer, date back to the year 1563. Since then, the wisdom both in cooking and in the production of its ciders has been passed from generation to generation, wisdom that has been perfecting to this day. The brothers Hur and Joseba Astarbe, with the support of their sister Kizkitza and their great team, make the different quality products that you can try during the guided tour of this cider house.
The Bereziartua cider house is a family business that has been dedicated to the cider-making activity since 1870, it was then when they made the first Bereziartua ciders in their old facilities in Ergobia. A century later, in 1970, his cider house definitively opted for the production of "sagardoa" in its current facilities in Astigarraga, the place where they are currently located. Since then, and after different modernization processes, Bereziartua has become a benchmark in the production of natural cider, maintaining the family character at the service of tradition, respect and gratitude to its loyal clients.
Gaztañaga is a cider house and grill that opened its doors in 1989. It was Joxe Ángel Gaztañaga who started the cider house and restaurant business following in the footsteps of his father Ángel, who already in 1975 made cider for his own consumption in the tolare (press) of the Buruntza neighborhood. Today, it is Joxe Angel Gaztañaga and his son Axier who run the cider house, with great care and effort. The building, which was originally a cow stable, is located in the Buruntza neighborhood, belonging to the Andoain municipality.
The Iparragirre Cider House is the queen of local products. In Iparragirre they are very aware of the environment and are committed to comprehensive sustainability in different ways: the use of solar panels and the wood from their own trees to heat the water, pollination, recycling, respect for the birds that inhabit its land, and above all with its organic apple trees. Iparragirre is a tolare (press) cider house with more than 500 years of history in which Arantza and Ana Eguzkitza work hand in hand together with the latter's son, Andoni.
The Mizpiradi cider house is located in the Leizotz neighborhood of Andoain. The Arruabarrena family entered the Mizpiradi farmhouse with Jon Mikel's great-grandfather and since then, his descendants have continued to run both the farm and the cider business. Cider has always been made in the farmhouse. In the year 2000, however, they renewed it and went from having cattle to becoming professional in the cider sector. Today, it is the young Jon Mikel who leads the march of the house with the support of his mother. His father, Angel María, was the one who made the decision to opt for cider making as a trade, and the son follows in his father's footsteps with great passion, enthusiasm and dedication.
The Oiharte cider house is located in the municipality of Zerain; is a young cider house run by Maite Retolaza Ojanguren and Haritz Eguren Urrestarazu. They began to market cider in 2010. Both the Haritz and Maite families have traditionally been cider makers, as in so many houses in the Basque Country, but the marketing of Oiharte cider has come with Haritz and Maite. In 2002 they rehabilitated the Oiharte farmhouse and turned it into a rural house. It has all the modern comforts necessary to guarantee a pleasant stay, but without losing the spirit of the 17th century farmhouse. Later they built the cider house and with it the possibility of offering a complete experience around cider.
Delve into the world of Basque cider and the mining tradition of the Aiako Harriak Natural Park. The Ola cider house is located in the old 13th century foundry and enjoys an unimaginable natural setting within the Natural Park. Through the guided tour you will be able to visit the apple orchards and all the necessary machinery to obtain our star product, basque natural cider. All this with a tasting of different ciders and house products along with a traditional cider house menu.
The Petritegi cider house owes its name to the farmhouse-press, which was built at the beginning of the 16th century. Its name means Petri's house, and it is that 500 years ago a man from San Sebastian named Petri De Igeldo (Pedro) gave the order to build this building so characteristic of Gipuzkoa. The farmhouse was built around the cider press, located on the first floor of the building and occupying a large part of it. At the beginning of the 20th century, our great-great-grandfather Agapito Goikoetxea bought the farmhouse, of course continuing to make cider.
Saizar's origins go back to the 1970s, when Esteban Lertxundi -a great connoisseur of cider and its production process- decided to take advantage of his Saizar farmhouse, a typical farm, and the old stable, to create a cider house. Thanks to his knowledge of the cider industry and together with his wife Olivia Ibarguren and their children, the entire Lertxundi Ibarguren family dedicates themselves body and soul to the new cider business, which, being open all year round, is gaining strength. The inclusion of a prestigious oenologist in the team has meant a further step in the professionalization of the business.
Come and get to know Basque natural cider and the families that make it up close!
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