Wine tourism in Asturias

Stepping into a llagar (cider house) can be one of the most fun experiences you will ever have. You will be amazed by its imposing chestnut barrels holding up to 30,000 litres, the warmth of the llagareros and how craft the making process is. If you are lucky enough to coincide with the harvest season, between October and November, all the better. Many cider houses combine the visit with a tasting of cheeses and typical products, and some offer “espichas”, an informal meal where omelettes and chorizo in cider are never missing. Its origin goes back to the moment when it was time to taste the new cider straight from the barrel, around spring — a feast shared with family and friends. “Espicha” was the small pointed wooden gadget that plugged the hole through which the cider came out.

Little by little it has become established, and consumers are increasingly aware of the added value it entails. Since 2002 the PDO has guaranteed that the apple is Asturian, and carries out quality controls with the aim of offering the best cider on the market.

Asturias is a land of cider, and its wine tourism looks to the southwest, to Cangas del Narcea, cradle of the wines of the D.O.P. Cangas. There and in villages such as Corias or Tineo, village houses and rural hotels abound among the hillside vineyards, a surprising landscape in the green heart of the north.

For the cider route it is best to make your base in the Comarca de la Sidra, in Villaviciosa, Nava or Gijón, with plenty of charming hotels and indiano mansions. Oviedo serves as a hub for radiating out to the apple orchards and cider houses of the whole region.

The Picos de Europa are the great setting: the Lakes of Covadonga, the Cares Route and the sanctuary of Covadonga concentrate nature and devotion. The coast offers the beaches of Gulpiyuri, Torimbia and the blowholes of Pría, plus seafaring towns such as Cudillero, Lastres or Llanes.

Pouring cider at a cider house, the routes through the Somiedo brañas with their teitos and bears, and the pre-Romanesque of the Naranco round out very varied plans. In Cangas del Narcea, the hillside harvest and the gorges of the Narcea add wine to the adventure.

The Picos de Europa gather campsites and areas near Cangas de Onís, Arenas de Cabrales and the Lakes of Covadonga, a perfect base for high-mountain hiking. The Somiedo Natural Park, a Biosphere Reserve, offers brañas and lakes to camp among the mountains.

The Cantabrian coast concentrates seaside campsites in Llanes, Ribadesella and Tapia de Casariego, with spectacular beaches and cliffs. Travelling by motorhome through the west, towards Cangas del Narcea and the Fuentes del Narcea Park, unites nature, wine and cider.