Basque Cider
Apple cider, apple wine or Sagardoa in Basque:
Basque Cider
The Basque Country benefits from a microclimate that is conducive to apple growing. Sagardoa or Sagardo, the "Apple Wine", has been produced there since ancient times. Basque sailors are said to have introduced it to Norman sailors.
Cider or Apple Wine?
Before a story of taste, this is a specific French law. Apple wine or sagardoa in Basque does not fall under the cider denomination because it exceeds a maximum volatile acidity of 1 g/litre.
Apple cider or champagne?
As with champagnes, cider is classified into different categories that are more or less sweet. • "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 semi-dry cider 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 production method and regulations distinguish it from Basque cider, but it is above all its originality that surprises lovers of Breton or Norman cider: a strong acidity, not very sparkling, sometimes slightly bitter, a slight cloudiness due to less strong filtration, which gives it "body" .... its "rustic" character will surely disconcert novice palates by its difference! It can be consumed as an aperitif or throughout a meal, particularly in the cider houses of the southern Basque country.
Craft Cider
The artisanal ciders that you will find in our selection are made with local apple varieties : Anisa (the anise apple, pleasant to bite into), Ondomotxa, Eztika, Peatxa and Peatxa-Gogorra, Mamula, Txakala, Mutur, Eri Sagara, Gordin Xuria…
Premium Cider
Often discredited because it is too often associated only with the sagado and its very marked character, which pleases or displeases, Basque cider holds its own against many regional ciders that are spontaneously more highly valued. For example, the Topa cider that we have selected won the Gold Medal for the best brut cider at the International Cider Fair in Asturias (Spain), against 18 countries and more than 60 producers, as well as the Bronze Medal at the World Cider Championship in Chicago (USA). It was also awarded 6th place in the top 50 best French ciders in the comparison by the magazine Que Choisir.
Organic cider:
Basque Country Cider
Whether it is TOPA ciders 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 rare Basque cider producers to offer organic apple cider including 33cl bottled cider
