basque — Journal of All Blog Posts

I grew up in a green, mountainous section of northern New England where the local apple cider is cherished nearly as much as maple syrup. With this upbringing, you may begin to understand my excitement when I learned one of the specialties of the green, mountainous Basque Country in Spain was also cider.

Of course, Basque Country has a considerably older tradition; much larger, more diverse, and ultimately, more alcoholic (the Vermont ciders tend to be of the sweet, deep brown, non-alcoholic variety — though thankfully the cider scene is growing in the northeast). And don’t get me started about how the Spanish cider is poured: from a small, fast stream and caught in a glass at an extreme angle. You know, as you would if you were trying to show off to friends. I just love a good showy pour.

Bartender at La Viña in San Sebastian, pouring cider from the bottle in the Basque style

Now, most people head to Basque country to spend a day or two at the resort town of San Sebastian/Donostia, but it’s well worth it to head just a few miles outside of town one morning to one of the many cider producers. I chose Sidrería Petritegi and partook one of their many “cider experiences” where they take you through their ancient production facilities, into an orchard where you can practice spearing apples and collecting them in a bucket, tour gigantic rooms of barrels, then back to the cafe for some food and cider tasting. Honestly, the best part was learning how to catch the cider properly in your glass as it’s streaming artfully from a giant barrel. It made for a wonderful couple hours and I left very, very happy.

Now, another suggestion if you’re heading to San Sebastian: don’t just drink the cider! You must also eat plates of pintxos right at the bar, just like a local. This concept of pintxos, pronounced "peen-chos" and meaning skewer or toothpick, is very similar to tapas. Pintxos was a fairly novel idea to me before my visit, but it’s just snack-sized plates of quality house dishes, often skewered with a toothpick, and served quickly at the bar. The informality of it all made me feel totally at home. You can put in an order of 4 or 5 options and, if your hunger persists, keep them coming all night. It’s fun to spend your evenings just stopping into several pintxos bars all over San Sebastien, consuming dozens of different options while you watch the bartender pour a tall cider, quite literally. Luckily, it’s all fairly inexpensive compared with NYC prices. You can never go wrong ordering the local sausage, anchovy, and definitely the cheesecake!

CIDER:

Sidrería Petritegi Sagardotegia: Petritegi Bidea, 8, 20115 Astigarraga, Gipuzkoa, Spain. Book here for guided cider tastings.

Sagardoaren Lurraldea (Cider Museum): Kale Nagusia Kalea, 48, 20115 Astigarraga, Gipuzkoa, Spain. This museum and the website is an excellent resource if you desire to learn more about cider making, the history of cider in the Basque Country, or to view all cider experience options in the area.