The cider culture has been the protagonist today in Donostia, the capital of cider

In the XXXIII edition of the Sagardo Eguna, 34 ciderf of different cider houses from Gipuzkoa has been tasted.

The Cider Tasting of Donostia (Sagardo Eguna) was held today for the 33rd consecutive year in the Plaza de la Constitución, from 11:00 to 14:00 in the morning. They have gathered 34 Guipuzcoan cider houses of Sagardoa Route - Association of Sidrerías of Gipuzkoa, giving to taste their best ciders of the harvest 2017, in the positions arranged under the arches of the square. The event was organized by the Cider Association of Gipuzkoa in collaboration with the City of Donostia and Donostia Festak. In total, around 8,000 bottles of cider have been consumed in the Plaza de la Constitución and some 5,000 people have come to enjoy the event. The different cider houses of Gipuzkoa have been tasked with tasting their best ciders along with a variety of chorizo pintxos, cod omelette and cheese, all set by trikitilaris bertsolaris.

"Craft production of Sidra" and tasting of the first fresh wort of the 2018 harvest

Once again, this edition has new features to enjoy more of Sagardo Eguna. Consumers, in addition to tasting the cider of 34 different wineries, have been able to see the process of pressing the apple and taste the first must of the 2018 harvest, thus knowing the artisanal form of the cider producers and the culture that so enriches this millennial product.

Besides being able to know how to make cider, there have also been different exhibitions: The Fruitel Association has placed a stand with different varieties of apple cider; Josu Osa, specialist in fruit growing, has exposed different types of grafts to carry out workshops with the youngest and also with some other adult fascinated with the technique.

Official Toast and Tribute to Juan Ignacio Astiazaran

The event began at 12:30 with an official toast to the shout of "txotx" with the cider producers, institutional representatives, guests and honorees. The Association of Sidrerías of Gipuzkoa has honored in this edition to Juan Ignacio Astiazaran, owner of the Astiazaran cider house, for a lifetime dedicated to the Cider. Juan Ignacio Astiazaran and his wife Isabel Díaz have received the hand of the president of the Association; the pin as a gift and the bouquet of flowers.

Tasting of Euskal Sagardoa ciders, Denomination of Origin

The cider is made in the kupela and matures in the bottle, so at this time we can taste this product at its best. The cider can be consumed throughout the year, both from the vats and in the bottle. In Donostia we have had the opportunity to taste the cider of the harvest 2017, high quality ciders:

• Natural cider, a mixture of native and foreign apples. The 2017 vintage was abundant in quantity and of great quality in Euskadi.
• Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin, made at% 100 with native apple and with a distinctive quality. In the year 2017 a total of 4,000 have been drawn up. 000 liters of cider destined for Euskal Sagardoa, many of them in Gipuzkoa. Those who have come to the Plaza today have been able to taste some of these ciders.

In addition to the popular tasting, at 1pm the Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin cider tasting was conducted by Unai Agirre, coordinator of Euskal Sagardoa. In this tasting the ciders of the 2017 vintage have been tasted and the characteristics of each of them have been mentioned. In total there are 48 cider houses that already produce cider Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin in the Basque Country and 270 apple producers eligible and regulated for the Denomination.

The sector's commitment is clear: origin and quality. The objective is to attract the first sector and offer the cider a fruitful future. The basis of the bet is in the local apple and the sector of the apple and cider, together with the administrations are working on it. In recent years many new apple trees have been planted in Gipuzkoa and it is expected that in the following years many more will be planted, all of them following the criteria dictated by the regulatory council of the Denomination of Origin.

2018 harvest of high quality and segmantada

In Sagardo Eguna de Donostia it was possible to taste the first must made with the 2018 harvest. The cider producers have their eyes fixed on the ripeness of the apple, to decide when to start with apple picking. The harvest of last year was very abundant and consequently this year a high quality and segmented harvest is expected. In some areas of the province the apple trees are full of apple but in others the production is lower. Soon they will start with the harvest and according to the sources of the Association, this year the apple comes early and some cider houses will start to make cider cider the first week of September. The weather this spring has hindered the gestation and rennet of the flower, so this year we will have less fruit than the previous one.

Apple Exhibition / Store and Information Point

The cider houses belonging to the Association have a great variety of products. Among the 40 associates, they produce more than 75 different products: natural, ecological, sparkling, crianza, special cider, Denomination of Origin, organic juice and natural juice, among others.

The September tasting, in addition to publicizing the culture of cider, gives the opportunity to disseminate the characteristics of cider: a drink of low graduation, refreshing and that fortunately maintains many of the characteristics and benefits of the apple. Drinking in moderation, very healthy. The Cider Association of Gipuzkoa wants to convey this message to consumers, both at home and to visitors, since Sagardo Eguna de Donostia is an excellent meeting point for both.

This year a stand with general information on cider and cider houses was also placed. More and more cider houses offer experiences and tourist products related to the culture of cider. Taking into account that the cider cellars have more and more foreign visitors, the cider houses are preparing and have begun to work in the tourism sector.

Sagardoa Route: discovering our origins to understand and enjoy our news

The cider industry is taking many steps to make its tradition fit our times. The consumer of cider and cider houses is diverse. For this reason, the cider companies are committed to diversifying their product while diversifying their offer. In this context of new markets and scenarios, Sagardoa Route is created, a project that works the present and future of cider houses.

Last December he presented the Natural Cider Association of Gipuzkoa together with the other cider associations of Euskal Herria. There are 59 cider houses that encompass Sagardoa Route. The objective is clear: to work on the constant renewal of the sector, strengthening its structure and working on new markets and scenarios.

We have cider houses distributed in different points of the Basque territories and our cider is the product that has been produced in these territories over many centuries. Our origins and our history That is what Sagardoa Route means and communicates, putting in value what has given us our way of being.

The first step was to define the culinary and cultural experiences that our cider houses have. The second create and shape its union with the territory. From this, the sector has been creating new proposals and products aimed at different audiences. Fruit of this brain storming was the product presented in June, SAGARDO TOUR, product that unites the territory and the experience in the cider house, getting to know the different trades of our land: baserritarra, cheesemaker and shepherd, carpenter and the families that work in the Cider houses, which have perfected over the years the technique and the way of working so that we can enjoy our cider.