Cider houses in San Sebastian and Astigarraga
Cider houses… Txoootx!
From mid-January to late April, the favourite ritual of the locals is the txotx season, which brings them to the cider houses, like sanctuaries, to taste the cider of the season.
A region so well known for its food just has to have the perfect accompaniment to wash down a meal. Cider is one of the locally-produced beverages par excellence: it is a seasonal produce made with the fruit of our apple trees using traditional methods.
The cider houses are mainly found in the north-east of the province of Gipuzkoa; and more specifically in the towns of Astigarraga, Hernani, Urnieta and Usurbil. Although today most cider houses are heated and food is eaten sitting on benches at long tables (sharing tables with other people is the norm), there are still a number of places you’d be wise to visit with warm clothes and prepared to eat standing up, in the traditional way.
The cider houses are open throughout the year and they are restaurants that are normally located in the same farm buildings where the cider is produced, surrounded by apple orchards. In some places they still uphold the tradition of standing as you eat and wrapping up warm to protect yourself from the cold of the cellar. But there are also modern cider houses with heating, where people sit at long wooden tables which they share with the other regulars. There’s a very special atmosphere.
The cider houses are open throughout the year and they are restaurants that are normally located in the same farm buildings where the cider is produced, surrounded by apple orchards. In some places they still uphold the tradition of standing as you eat and wrapping up warm to protect yourself from the cold of the cellar. But there are also modern cider houses with heating, where people sit at long wooden tables which they share with the other regulars. There’s a very special atmosphere.
The origin of cider breweries
What began as a private tasting session purchasers and wholesalers to choose the best ciders over time has become quite popular, to the extent that it now constitutes one of the most famous gastronomic events in the Basque Country. From the old procedure of opening the kupela with a stick (txotx) evolved into the tradition of going up to the barrel to try the cider with a cry of Txotx!
Guide des Cider brewery guide
The majority of the cider breweries are concentrated in the north-east of the province of Gipuzkoa, specifically in Astigarraga, Hernani, Urnieta and Usurbil.
Find the ideal establishment according to your needs
BODEGA DE SIDRA ABURUZA
Open all year round with txotx from its 29 kupelas. Dining room equipped to enjoy the cider experience in a relaxed manner, with a cool river and bottles of D.O. cider to enjoy in self-service mode. Are you up for it? Make your plans, we’ll be waiting for you!
ALTZUETA SAGARDOTEGIA
Although the date of its foundation is unknown, there are documents proving that Sidreria Altzueta was already selling cider in 1878 and continues today in its 4th generation. Today, Altzueta sells natural cider in bottles, TXOTX, and since 2020 we have been serving lunch and dinner on a pleasant and peaceful terrace.
TXIRRITA SAGARDOTEGIA
Txirrita Sagardotegia is a cider house with charm in the centre of San Sebastian. Everything in our tradional menu is always prepared with top-quality produce. Come and sample all of our ciders!
SIDRERIA SAIZAR SAGARDOTEGIA
Open all year round. Basque cider house. Guided tours. Cider tasting with the Txotx Ritual. Private room. Exclusive activities and services. Incentives and events. Conventions and work events. Weddings and celebrations. Vegan friendly. 350 pax. Capacity.
SIDRERIA PETRITEGI SAGARDOTEGIA
Cider house menu and ‘Txotx’. 4 dining rooms. Capacity of 450 people. Guided tours with tasting. Tasting courses and training. Organised events and celebrations. Incentive Groups. Business meetings and meals. Sale of cider. Easy access.
SIDRERIA IRETZA
A new concept of cider-house. 3 floors and capacity for 470 pax. Private dining halls, tables in kupelas, stage and the most innovative decoration with excellent service. Tradition and modernism combined. Menu, cider menu, arranged menus, lunches and events with their very own flavour.
Activities
Visit the apple orchards, the farmhouses and cider presses, the manufacture areas, the cellars and, above all, accompany us in tasting natural cider just like the Basques: in the bottle following the ritual of ‘txotx’. See you there!
The apple and the cider process
Basque cider: tradition, artisanal production and authentic flavour from Gipuzkoa.
Cider, or sagardoa in Basque, is made from fermented apple juice prepared in the traditional way, with no added sugar and no other carbonic gas than that produced in the process itself (i.e. no added gas). The result is a flavour somewhere between sweet and sour with an alcohol content of 4.5º+.
Proof exists to the effect that the Basques have been familiar with both apples and cider since time immemorial. However, cider-production had almost disappeared from all of the Basque regions, with the exception of Gipuzkoa, where the cider house phenomenon and drinking cider had gathered new strength in the 80s. Cider has been made (for centuries) in the local farmhouses for their own personal consumption.
The first step is to collect the apples when they mature and drop off the trees. After washing and selection, the apples are crushed and the resulting paste is left to macerate for a time. The paste is then transferred to the press or tolare to extract the must, which is then poured into wooden barrels, or kupelas. After roughly 3 months’ fermentation, the cider is ready to drink.
Blog