After the summer, it's time to cider. With the harvest of the apples, the elaboration begins in the cider houses. A very interesting natural and gastronomic drink to enjoy with company. With a long tradition in the north of Spain and deeply rooted in Asturias and in the province of Guipuzcoa.
La cider o He came from apple It is a drink made from the fermented juice of apples. The whole process begins at this time with the harvest of the apples. These are of very different varieties, and only of the apples table there are more than a thousand varieties in the world. Of them are 14 those used for cider production in the Basque Country: Aritza, Errezila, Gezamina, Goikoetxe, Manttoni, Moko, Mozolua, Patzolua, Txakala, Udaremarrroi, Urdin, Urtebi haundi, Urtebi txiki and Frantzes Sagarra.
It's in the blend of these varieties the mastery to get a good cider. Caring for the apple trees and the choice of the ideal moment of maturation for the harvest is key. As well as the care in the pick up and transport, which are important processes to guarantee product quality.
The pressing does not break the seeds avoiding bitterness
Once the apples arrive at the cider house they go through a flotation washing process. Later they are introduced in a drum where they are separated from some impurities and pressure cleaning is performed. After this process, they are selected manually, discarding the non-optimal apples before going to pressing.
That is done by low performance pneumatic presses To get the maximum possible wort. Without breaking the seeds of the apples, since they would add an unwanted flavor. The yield of apples is between 60 and 70%, although it depends on the variety.
Once pressed, the must goes to some warehouses, where a 24-hour sedimentation filtration. Later it goes to the barrels or kupelas. ANDn the case of Zelaia de Hernani cider house (Guipuzkoa) they are between 9.000 and 18.000 liters. This is where fermentation occurs at controlled temperatures.
La alcoholic fermentation It lasts for two weeks, at which point the sugars in the must are converted into alcohol. Subsequently, the malolactic transformation, which will convert malic acids into lactic acids.
The transfer and the blend
From that moment on, the tasks of racking and blend to achieve the necessary balance provided by each variety or batch of must. In total, the entire process from the apple harvest lasts between two and three months.
The arrival of a new year coincides with the beginning of the bottling and the opening of the new cider. On those dates it is traditional to visit the cider houses to taste it and taste the menu at the same time. Formerly it was the occasion for the farmhouses, bars and restaurants They bought cider for the whole year and each had their favorite. Currently you simply enjoy a great menu with cider.
The best way to drink cider, poured
The recommended way to drink the cider it is poured, that is, thrown at a certain distance so that it breaks into the glass. It is the moment when the cider it becomes oxygenated, mixes with carbon dioxide and takes some needle. This process enhances the organoleptic properties of cider.
With the natural cider we enjoy a drink with a low alcohol content, around 6º. It apports antioxidants, pectin -the one that helps us lower the cholesterol level- and triglycerides It contains vitamin C, vitamins of group B (B1, B2, B3, B6, B7), vitamin K and vitamin E.
As for the minerals, provides us with potassium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium. As with apples, the cider It contains enzymes that make it very digestive and that help us regulate our intestinal flora.
