Basque Cider
Apple cider, apple wine or Sagardoa in Basque:
Basque Cider
The Basque Country benefits from a microclimate that is favourable to apple growing. Sagardoa or Sagardo, the "apple wine", has been made here since ancient times. Basque sailors are said to have introduced it to Norman sailors.
Cider or Apple Wine?
Before a history of taste, this is a French specificity of legislation. Apple wine or sagardoa in Basque does not fall under the cider designation because it exceeds a maximum volatile acidity of 1 g/litre.
Apple cider or champagne?
As with champagnes, cider is classified into different categories with varying degrees of sweetness. - "brut" if it has a residual sugar content of less than 28 g/L - "demi-sec" if it has a residual sugar content of between 28 and 42 g/L - "doux" if it has a residual sugar content of more than 35 g/L We offer a selection of artisanal Basque cider ranging from demi-sec to extra brut cider .
What is apple wine?
Sagarno (Sagarnoa or sagardoa), means apple wine in Basque (from sagar "apple" and ardo "wine"). An emblem of the Basque Country. Its method of production and the regulations distinguish it from Basque cider, but it is above all its originality that will surprise lovers of Breton or Norman cider: a pronounced acidity, not very sparkling, sometimes slightly bitter, a slight cloudiness due to less filtration, which gives it "body". .... Its "rustic" character will surely confuse novice palates by its difference! It can be drunk as an aperitif or throughout a meal, particularly in the cider houses of the southern Basque country.
Artisanal Cider
The artisanal ciders you will find in our selection are made with local apple varieties: Anisa (the aniseed apple, pleasant to crunch), Ondomotxa, Eztika, Peatxa and Peatxa-Gogorra, Mamula, Txakala, Mutur, Eri Sagara, Gordin Xuria...
High quality cider
Often discredited because it is too often equated only with sagado and its very marked character, which either pleases or displeases, Basque cider holds its own against many ciders from regions that are spontaneously more valued. For example, the Topa cider we have selected won the Gold Medal for the best raw cider at the International Cider Fair in Asturias (Spain), against 18 countries and more than 60 producers, and the Bronze Medal at the World Cider Championship in Chicago (USA). It was also rewarded with a 6th place in the top 50 best French ciders in the comparison of the magazine Que Choisir.
Organic cider:
Cider Pays Basque
Whether TOPA or ETZIGAR ciders, they are all produced in the Basque Country from Basque apple varieties.
Organic apple cider
We have selected for you ETZIGAR artisanal ciders and their range of organic apple cider. The orchards where the local old apple varieties are grown are under the Organic Agriculture label. ETZIGAR is one of the few Basque cider producers to offer organic apple cider, including 33cl bottled cider.
