In 1998 it was a group of friends who met for lunch and went to the cider house once a year. Over time they started going on Wednesdays, from one sagardotegi to the next, and in 2000 it turned into a competition. Kizkia Taldea, named after the pointed stick used to pick apples up off the ground, celebrated its 25th anniversary on Wednesday 4 November with an event at the Murgia Palace in Astigarraga.

From six cider houses to sixteen

The competition began as a way of thanking the cider makers who opened their doors to let them taste their ciders. The first three were held in Hernani, at the Ubarburu farmhouse in the Jauregi area. Six cider houses brought two ciders each to the first one, and Otsuenea won. The following year there were sixteen, and for many years there were twenty. Today there are sixteen sagardotegis again, and not only from Astigarraga.

For years it has been held in September at the Gure Izarra society in Astigarraga: three lunches on three different Wednesdays to taste the ciders, followed by a grand final. This year's was won by Lizeaga, on a podium of Astigarraga cider houses.

Cider in a wine glass

The group now has eleven members, and three of them have been there from the start: cider maker Gabriel Lizeaga, Jose Mari Latasa from the Ubarburu farmhouse, and José Luis Pérez Vacas. Throughout the year they visit cider houses, rate what they taste and talk it over with the cider maker, and they have taken courses to sharpen their tasting.

In 2015 they began tasting from a wine glass, back when that "sounded almost like sacrilege". They maintain that nothing beats the traditional tumbler for enjoying cider, but that a wine glass helps when judging aroma and colour. Today it is standard at tastings.

The anniversary

The event opened with an aurresku of honour, a Basque ceremonial dance, for the members of the group, followed by an exhibition of photos, testimonies and memories from these 25 years. Kizkia gave a gift to the cider makers, collaborators and friends who have supported it, and the celebration ended with a lunch at the palace.