Izeta’s cider, from Aia, is the best in Gipuzkoa according to the 24th Gipuzkoa Cider Competition, organised by the Provincial Council. Second place went to Zapiain and third to Altzueta. The prizes were presented on Monday 6 October at Albaola Itsas Etxea, and Izeta’s award was collected by Sebastian Iruretagoiena, the cider house’s owner.

The competition also gives two further distinctions, through which the Provincial Council aims to recognise those who dare to try new styles. The award for best sparkling cider went to Aburuza, and the one for most innovative cider to Itxasburu for “Batekoa”, made with apples of the Moko variety.

A new jury and a seal on the bottle

The novelty this year lay in the jury: for the first time it was made up of sommeliers and tasters chosen by the Euskal Sagardoa Designation of Origin (DO). They tasted the ciders blind, using an assessment method proposed by the Regulatory Council. Over the coming year, the winning ciders may display a seal on the bottle showing whether they were classed gold or silver.

The ceremony also moved to a new setting. This year marks a thousand years since the first written document in which the word “Ipuskoa” appears, and the Provincial Council took the awards ceremony to Albaola. Xabier Arruti, the council member for Green Territorial Balance, opened the ceremony by recalling that cider was a product “essential to the survival of the Basque sailors who travelled to Newfoundland in the 16th and 17th centuries”.

At the same event, the institution paid tribute to Xabier Agote, director of Albaola, for his contribution to the history and culture of the province. Arruti presented him with an apple carved in wood and stressed that Agote “has spent years rescuing the maritime history of Basque men and women”.

Ten hectares of orchard

The following day, in an interview with Noticias de Gipuzkoa, Iruretagoiena admitted that the prize had taken him by surprise, although they knew the previous year’s cider had turned out very well. Izeta makes its cider from the apples of its own 10-hectare orchard and from those of nearby growers. For the new season, he explained, 70% of the kupelas (casks) have been filled with their own apples and the rest with fruit from nearby producers. Production is around 130,000 litres per season, almost all of it sold in the cider house’s restaurant and in the local area; exports are limited to six or seven pallets a year.

Iruretagoiena believes the recognition will help them become better known: he said some people had already called to buy cases and try the award-winning cider.

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