Arizia cider house, guided visit to the cider watchtower

Guided visit to Arizia sagardotegia, a cider house that enchants visitors with its elegant cider and beautiful views over Zarautz.

Arizia Sagardotegia is currently the only sagardotegi (cider maker in Basque) that produces its own cider in the Gipuzkoan town of Zarautz. A small space full of peace, that, managed by a zarautztarra family, invites us to enjoy its broths in an idyllic space, of film. As if it were a watchtower, Arizia controls the daily life of the elegant town of Zarautz, an aspect that, together with the presence of apple trees, turns it into a modern and cozy gastronomic txoko where to enjoy a pleasant and pleasant guided visit. Arizia is considered, due to its volume, a small cider house, but we are sure that in the not too distant future, its location, production and way of elaboration will take it to the top of the sector.

We must emphasize that we are in front of a “kilometer 0” experience, and, as we are told, the apples are produced 100% in Zarautz, as well as the cider, a more autochthonous product impossible, 100% Zarautz. The guided visit to Arizia Sagardotegia reveals the secrets of the elaboration of natural cider to conclude with an interesting tasting of all its wines and a small lunch. In this cider maker from Gipuzkoa they reserve most of their production to offer us the experience of txotx during most of the year, cider directly from the kupelas to the glass, leaving only a small part for bottling. Arizia, is managed entirely by the Arregui family from Zarautz, who have been making natural cider in Zarautz for more than 10 years and managing the dining room that responds to a nice fusion of cider house and restaurant.

The Arizia cider house, reminds us for its location and design to other great gastronomic spaces of our coast as the K5 winery of Karlos Arguiñano or the restaurant and winery Katxiña, where, in addition to enjoying a nice dining experience in the Gipuzkoa region of Urola Kosta, we also enjoy luxury views.

Located at about 100 meters above sea level and nestled on the mountain, the Arizia cider house gives us a small gastronomic watchtower where the temperature is kept naturally regulated, perfect conditions for the wines kept in its cellar. Located about 2 kilometers from the urban center of Zarautz, surrounded by nature, those responsible for Arizia are committed to the ecological, the natural, avoiding at all times the use of chemicals for the maintenance of their apple trees. This cider house from Gipuzkoa has its own parking with capacity for about 40 vehicles, a spacious and modern dining room with capacity for 120 people and an incredible terrace that in summer becomes the jewel in the crown, in short, a quiet space, in which to enjoy life passing by. If you want to visit this cider house in winter, do not worry, the large window that separates the terrace from the dining room also gives us a beautiful view of Zarautz.

Txotx: In the Arizia cider house they follow the cider tradition of our land inviting us to enjoy the cider to the txotx, directly from the kupela and without any limit. A ritual, by means of which we had the opportunity to taste the different natural ciders that are elaborated in this winery. The different varieties of apples that Arizia has are harvested during the month of October approximately separately, choosing with care the varieties that have better adapted to the climatology of the year. We are sure that the ritual of the txotx is familiar to you, and, after our adventures in Astigarraga, after enjoying a thousand and one cider houses, there are many articles in which we have alluded to this ritual of our land. In case you don’t remember, we recommend you to read our article dedicated to the Txotx! Opening of the cider season in the Basque Country. . As this is a recently created cellar, the stainless steel barrels, located behind the wall that separates the cellar from the dining room, do not have the same charm as the wooden kupelas found in other cider houses, but in practice, when it comes to making cider, they are a great option. It is all a matter of taste.

How to get there: Although the Arizia cider house is only 2 kilometers from the center of Zarautz, it is easy to get confused when it comes to getting there, especially if we pay attention to the GPS. To get there we advise you to get to Zarautz and there cross the bridge that passes over the A-8 freeway, near the Eroski, once crossed the bridge, we just have to turn left and climb the slope that we find in front of us. If you are facing a steep and narrow slope that is accessed by the industrial area of Zarautz, between farmhouses, you have been confused, but relax, this road also leads us to our destination. You can also walk from the city center, although in this case, it is a somewhat heavy walk for the elderly or very young children.

Different: Arizia cider maker is outside the recently created Euskal Sagardoa, the Denomination of Origin of Basque cider. And the fact is that, although Arizia shares many of the aspects that defend from the new denomination of origin, they have wanted to stay on the sidelines creating different ciders, their own. This aspect implies good and bad things, and it is that, the new denomination of origin certifies that all the apples with which that cider is elaborated are of Basque production, a certification that Arizia does not possess. On the other hand, it also benefits them, since they separate themselves from the group, creating a product different from the rest. In any case, we are in front of a cider maker with a very marked, very personal character.

Our experience: We arrived at Arizia cider house after enjoying an intense day in the neighboring towns of Zumaia and Orio. A day full of surprises, in which we enjoyed some of the experiences such as “The great enigma”, a great guided tour through which we delve into the Basque culture and the Basque language to understand in a very special way the way of being of the Basque people.

After enjoying Zumaia, a town worth visiting, we headed to Orio, where a pleasant gastronomic surprise awaited us from Luis Mari and his great Asador Xixario, in our humble opinion one of the best places in Euskadi to eat grilled sea bream. Both, experiences of great interest that we recommend you with eyes closed.

We had left for the end the guided visit to Arizia cider house, a perfect end to a great day on the Basque coast. We remind you that it is necessary to book to enjoy this guided tour in which, through a guided walk, Maite, Arizia’s winemaker, shows us all the secrets of their apple trees and winery. The visit begins among apple trees, where Maite explains the work they do in the field, the varieties they have, the tools they use and the products they use.

A very pleasant and didactic talk with the town of Zarautz in the background. We left the outside to enter between kupelas, in the winery. It is here, where after explaining the process that turns the apple into cider, the tasting begins with the tasting of all the wines they have. The different varieties used in each of the ciders and the meteorological differences to which each of the plots have been exposed, make that all of them have something different, an aroma, color or peculiar flavor. Making this tasting a fun day in which each new sip reminds us of a totally different aspect to the previous one. At the end, a small appetizer with local products is offered.

Gastronomy: Although we were not lucky enough to taste any of Arizia’s dishes, the organic vegetable garden and the grill that we found next to the cider house make us think that the food follows the same line as their cider, quality. Unfortunately, that is all we can tell you about their culinary creations, as we focused purely on the guided tour of their facilities. According to Maite, you can opt for the typical cider house menu or the à la carte menu, both are great options, a difficult decision. The cider house menu (35€) consists of cod omelette, cod with green peppers, steak and a good dessert with cheese, nuts, tiles and cigarettes from Tolosa, while the menu offers dishes of our traditional cuisine.

Maite: Maite Arregui, second generation of Arizia Sagardotegia, was in charge of guiding us among the apple trees and kupelas. A great hostess, with whom we reviewed the news of the cider sector of Euskal Herria and with whom we commented on each of the ciders we tasted. She is the one who has taken the reins of the cider production, exercising, in addition to the typical functions of the winemaker, a position of responsibility in the day to day of the restaurant.

Price: The guided tour of Arizia Sagardotegia has a price of 10€ per person which includes a varied cider tasting and a small lunch after the visit to the apple orchard and the winery. These services make this guided tour a good value for money.

Videos: As usual, we have uploaded a couple of videos (short and unedited) to our YouTube channel so you can get a more realistic idea of what you will find in Arizia Sagardotegia. The videos are not much, but we hope you like them and that they help you to complement the perspective offered by the words and pictures in this article.

Framed in a stunning natural environment, Arizia shows us the culture of Basque cider from the proximity. So now you know, if you are looking for a guided visit to a cider house in the surroundings of Zarautz, Arizia is a very good option, you will not regret it. As usual in our articles, we encourage you to leave us your opinions and suggestions, we will try to answer as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!