Astarbe ByHur Sparkling Cider Brut Nature
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Sparkling cider made using the méthode traditionnelle.
- Aged for 12 months produces a finished cider with unrivaled complexity.
Varietal Composition: Astarbe, Mendiola and another varieties
Elaboration: After selecting the apples, the must is transferred into select wooden casks or ‘kupelas’. The cider is bottled following alcoholic fermentation and subsequent malolactic fermentation. ByHur sparkling cider is produced using the traditional champenoise method. Uncorked and labelled after ageing for 12 months in the ‘Cava Tolare’ cellar.
Tasting Notes: Straw colored, with a fine yet continuous bead. Citrus aromas with a distinct fizz. Explosive and fleeting, giving way to floral notes. The fine sparkle persists and leaves a freshness on the palate. Herbal end notes reminiscent of natural Basque cider, with a dry finish, leaving us wanting more of this sparkling cider.
PRESS
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PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Astarbe is one of the oldest cider houses in Gipuzkoa (founded in 1563), run by the same family that generation after generation, for five centuries, has been dedicated to making cider and growing apple trees.
Hur, Joseba, and Kizkitza represent the fifteenth generation of ciders producers who also grow their own apples in these lands, which makes the Astarbe Cider House’ unique. The Astarbe’s have decided to innovate in the world of Basque ciders by recovering planting techniques and varieties of apples that their ancestors managed. Together with the teacher Félix Lizaso, from the Artamugarri farmhouse, they work in a wild seed nursery (makatza). The siblings rediscovered two varieties of apples to make cider with, the mendiola, whose tree was already erected in front of the Family’s farmhouse in 1563, and the astarbe varietal. These 2 varietals are 2 of the 115 varieties that the Euskal Sagardoa DO – Basque Cider admits.
Nestled between the Santiagomendi, Txoritokieta mountains and the Adarra peak, the Astarbe’s ancestors strategically built their original farmhouse at the foot of the Camino Real, where commerce and traffic between Madrid and Paris was brisk.