Txotx! Opening of the cider season in the Basque Country.

Know the ritual around the first cider of the season in the Basque Country, know Sagardo Berriaren Eguna, know the ritual of Txotx!

“Gure Sagardo Berria”, (our new cider in Basque) is the phrase with which we start the cider season in Euskal Herria, a phrase, which is accompanied by the famous cry that cider makers pronounce to announce the opening of a new kupela (barrel in Basque), Txotx!

Cider has fed the Basque people for many centuries, as witnessed by the apple presses (dolareak in Basque) from the 15th and 16th centuries that can be found in Petritegi and Igartubeiti respectively, or the barrels discovered in the wrecks of Newfoundland, such as the whaler San Juan, found off the coast of Canada in Red Bay, remains that have given rise to one of our most important historical-cultural projects, Albaola.

Every year, the best cider houses hang up the full sign during the Txotx season, which is why we recommend to get ahead of this moment and reserve a place in advance. What are you waiting for?

The connection between the apple and the Basque Country is well known worldwide, a tradition that has led to prestigious international awards for our wines, and that, that they taste it in bottles, imagine what would happen if they enjoyed it through the ritual of Txotx.

History of the Basque cider houses: The experience that today we live around the Basque cider has its origin in the commercialization of the same one, when the wholesalers went to the sagardotegis to prove the cider that later they would sell in their establishments. It was then, when, standing up (it is possible that the sagardotegi to which you go has tables without chairs), in front of the kupelas, they made a small hamaiketako (lunch of 11:00 in Basque) and they proceeded to taste the ciders to choose the one that for them reunited the best characteristics. Practically the same as we do nowadays, but in kuadrilla, as a leisure activity and without buying cider in industrial quantities.

Although nowadays apples and cider once again occupy a large part of our territory, there was a time when apple trees took second place to factories and new technologies, industrialization had reached the Basque Country and Basque cider was at its lowest ebb. It is then, in the 80’s, when in the province of Gipuzkoa a great effort is made to recover what is ours, our roots, traditions and history, it is for this reason that Gipuzkoa is nowadays the visible head of the Basque cider.

Although the current experience is not more than 50 years old, cider has been with us since time immemorial, if you want to see it in first person do not miss some of the articles we have written about the world of apples in the Basque Country.

The txotx is a popular event deeply rooted in Basque society, an experience that we recommend to live at least once in a lifetime. But remember, with respect and moderation.

How to proceed in the txotx: Simple. It does not matter the sagardotegi in which we are, the procedure of the txotx is always the same. Once accommodated in the sagardotegi and located in the table that corresponds to us, the party begins, as simple as to take the glass, to get up and to go to the area of the kupelas to taste the new cider, a first contact before beginning to eat never this other one.

Once in the kupelas area, the cry of txotx and the crowd will point us to the barrel that is open. Now it only remains to stand in a strict queue, tilt the glass and wait for our predecessor to finish loading his to start loading ours, it is advisable to drink as soon as possible the sagardo to enjoy the aromas it gives off when it breaks in the glass, it is important that the cider keeps the “txinparta” (the carbon dioxide gas that is created when the cider is broken) before drinking. So forget about filling the glass to the top as if there were no tomorrow, filling it to the level of 2 fingers is enough. In case of doubt, as the saying goes, where you go, do as you see. Remember that the cider of each kupela is different, try to taste all of them.

Once the dance of the dishes begins, we must know how to alternate food and cider, of course, do not fool yourselves, the cider will not run out, which does not happen with the food, it is advisable to fill the stomach well for the intake of large amounts of cider. Remember that although we are standing and drinking, we are still sharing space with other people, we are in a public place, we are still in a cider maker’s house, behave yourselves, cider in large quantities can bring out our darker side.

Start of the season: The “Sagardo Berriaren Eguna” (day of the new cider in Basque) is a very special day which marks the beginning of the Txotx season in Euskal Herria. An annual event followed with great interest by all cider lovers. Once again, the event took place in the Gipuzkoan municipality of Astigarraga, a town that has been hosting the traditional opening of the Txotx since 1994.

This event, which is only attended as guests by producers, public personalities and the press, is held at the Museum of Basque cider, Sagardoetxea, and at a cider house, which is alternated every year. The ritual of this event always follows the same pattern: press conference, planting of an apple tree and tasting of the first broth by the special guest.

Press conference: The press conference opens the day at the Casa de Cultura of Astigarraga. It is here, in a small room, where politicians, producers and the special guest, introduce us to the current situation of the apple in our land and describe the most notable characteristics of the cider that we are going to taste this year.

Planting of a new apple tree in Sagardoetxea: The Basque cider museum has a small apple orchard with more than 70 varieties of apples, a number that increases every year with the planting of a new fruit tree.

Opening of the first kupela and tasting of the first broth: The special guest, in this case, the chef Eneko Atxa, a young talent from Bizkaia who makes his living in the kitchen at the Azurmendi restaurant, presented the new cider to the cry of “Gure Sagardo Berria” (this is our new cider in Basque), after which the rest of those present came to taste it.

All this accompanied by dantzaris, bertsolaris and txalapartaris, a luxury.

How Basque cider is produced: Our sagardoa is 100% natural, with no additives, an ancestral process in which small improvements have been introduced to obtain a more professional broth, a cider according to our times. The apples, of different kinds, are harvested, washed and selected. Once selected, the apple is crushed to create a kind of paste that must be macerated and then pressed to extract the apple juice. This juice is poured into wooden or stainless steel kupelas to begin fermentation.

Basque cider is currently made with around 40% of native apples, although this is one of the points on which most work is being done by all organizations. In the future, it is planned to obtain cider with 100% native apple, a very coveted but possible objective.

Basque dictionary for cider makers: If you want to know what words like Txotx, sagardoa, sagardotegia, zukua, komunak and a long etcetera mean, don’t miss our small Basque dictionary with technical concepts from the world of apples and cider.

If you want to know more words in Basque, do not hesitate to consult our article on the basic words to visit the Basque Country.

Anecdote: Many people echoed the pairing of the Basque group Kalakan and Madonna, a fusion of cultures that took our beloved apple, its juice and cider on tour around the world with the fusion of the songs “Open Your Heart” and “Sagarra Jo”. As you have been able to appreciate in our little dictionary in Basque around the apple, “sagarra” means apple while “jo” means to crush, an action that takes us to the cabins of the farmhouses of the Basque Country in which the apple was glued in order to obtain its so famous broth, its juice. In case you haven’t been lucky enough to enjoy Kalakan and Madonna together, we leave you the video below these lines, enjoy it.

Cider houses: Although most of the Basque cider houses are concentrated in Gipuzkoa, we can also enjoy Txotx in Araba, Bizkaia, Navarra or French Basque Country. We must take into account that many of the Basque cider houses are old farmhouses, we recommend wearing warm clothes, it is not usually very hot inside.

Sagardotegi menu: The typical cider house menu in the Basque Country is composed of cod omelette, fried cod with piperrak (peppers in Basque), steak, cheese with quince jelly, walnuts and cider with txotx. A complete menu with a lot of food.

Hernani: Hernani hosts during the txotx season the post-sidrería party. The town council invites us to enjoy the festival with respect. The industrial zone of Hernani, on the outskirts of the urban center, we find the space reserved for the buses of the cider mills, calm, we only have to cross the bridge, the journey is short.

Experiences: The cider territory offers a multitude of experiences that serve as a nexus of union between all the sectors that form the Basque society. If you want to enjoy the apple environment to the maximum it can be a great option.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sagardoaren Lurraldea and BlogonBrands for inviting us to experience Sagardo Berriaren Eguna in first person, eskerrik asko lagunak. The Basque whalers who sailed to Newfoundland drank an average of 3 liters a day, but you are not like them, be careful.