Barrika Basque Country Cider

Barrika is a traditional Basque apple cider or sidra, blending 6 indigenous apple varieties and utilizing only wild fermentation in giant chestnut barrels. There are no additives or flavorings, just apples and time.

With an annual production of only 100-120,000 liters, lifetime sidrero Juan Inaxio Astiazaran can take some old-fashioned steps that are too time-consuming for larger producers. Perhaps most importantly, he takes the time to reintroduce the juice to the pulp after each press, macerating it overnight before pressing again and moving to barrels to ferment. It’s a costly step, but the added tannin and complexity extracted from the pulp shines through in the final product.

There are only 12 barrels or barrikas in the Astiazaran Cider House, each having its own distinct personality that it imparts to the cider. Juan Inaxio invites you to discover these subtleties for yourself and has marked each bottle on its cork with the number of the barrika it came from.