Aburuza: a visit to this cider house is a must to learn about the process of making premium cider
Aburuza: a visit to this cider house is a must to learn about the process of making premium cider
Cider production has a long and deep-rooted history in the Basque Country. There has also been a Designation of Origin in existence since 2016 (known as Euskal Sagardoa) which guarantees the quality of natural Basque cider made from 100% local apples. Said Designation of Origin has two labels: Euskal Sagardoa and Euskal Sagardoa Premium – the latter includes ciders that get the highest organoleptic score.
Among the fifty or so companies that have been accepted by the Designation of Origin, the work carried out by Aburuza is quite noteworthy, as it is a family cider house located in Aduna that has been producing cider in general since the 1950s and doing so on a professional scale since 1987. Aburuza has received awards from the Denomination of Origin year after year, obtaining the Euskal Sagardoa label for its classic cider and the Euskal Sagardoa Premium label for its high-end drink – a full-bodied cider with low acidity, complex on the nose and palate, with a fruity aroma and fine, permanent foam. These ciders are made with apples from trees of the Goikoetxe, Urtebi Txiki, Urtebi Handi, Mozoloa, and Txalaka varieties which populate the hills surrounding the cider house, forming a beautiful natural setting.
Aburuza offers guided tours to those interested in learning about the cider-making process, highlighting for visitors the apple harvest and the process of washing, selection, crushing, pressing, decanting, fermentation, and racking; although the best part of the visit comes at the end, with the txotx, which is the Basque word used to refer to the tasting of the different ciders directly from the barrels. This tasting takes place while enjoying a succulent traditional cider house menu consisting of a salt cod omelet, fried salt cod with green peppers, char-grilled ribeye steak, Idiazabal cheese with apple paste, walnuts, and tejas (a crunchy, cookie-like almond snack) and cigarrillos (a similar crunchy dessert snack that is rolled to somewhat resemble a cigarette) from Tolosa – all served in the spacious, rustic dining room. Aburuza is also very popular for some of the special dishes it offers upon request, such as pilpil-style cod, grilled beef ribs, and baked LumaGorri Eusko Label chicken. This lavish feast culminates in the café that crowns the building, which offers a terrace with a beautiful view of the mountains and villages of Tolosaldea.
Aburuza
Barrio Goiburu, 8 – Aduna.
Tel.: +34 943 692 452
