Anzu Fernández has been selected as Cider Chat's pick for the Sexiest Cider Dude of 2017!
picture credit: La Sidra
Anzu Fernández doing a classic long pour
This title is not given freely nor is it due to the fact that Asturias happens to have some of the biggest cider cojones around. I mean geez Louise! Roman historian Estraban said sometime back in 60 BC about Asturias "They scarcely have wine, but they drink a lot of cider." I'm thinking that this American might think twice about bragging next time about the big whoop fact that President John Adams drank cider 200 years ago.
Anzu is the International Delegate for Asturian XXI Foundation, speaks 15 languages, works for La Sidra, and is a medical doctor who is beginning his residency working towards perhaps neurosurgery. His resume is impressive, but what really inspired this podcaster is his Cider Bold. He is both knowledgeable and has a keen ability to speak with grace and conviction on cider not only in Asturias but in the rest of the worldand yes that is not only intriguing it is exactly what cider needs right now in 2017!
Dr. Fernández
His unabashed view that the cider industry should without a doubt support their country's cider journalist and yes a podcast like Cider Chat which helps to promote cider around the globe, is expect in Asturias and as such a no-brainer for other cider producers around the world.
Yes Anzu isn't afraid to speak up and provide the cider community with a healthy boot in the ass. Plus, the fact that Asturians know how to party like no other people I have ever met in the world absolutely seals the deal for his new title!
In this chat we discuss Asturias' cider culture and how to drink Sidra
Anzu's Tasting notes for Sidra in Asturias
Expect Bitterness
A blend ofbittersweet and sweet apples
6 apples in each bottle
Interesting facts on cider production in Asturias
There are 2500 "Asturian only"varieties of cider apples
200 of the apples are endemic to only Asturia
Every brand of Natural Sidra, has at the minimum 6 varieties of apples in the blend
There are many different associations in Asturias. Also different standards for the Cider Bars (Siderias)
Basque cider is consider more acidic than Asturian cider
Asturias produces 100,000,000 liters of Sidra per year
This region also produces 50,000,000 liters of sparkling Sidra
There are Cider pourer competitions
The average consumption of cider in Asturias is 45 liters per year
In Gijon the population consumes 65 liters/per person/per year for every single person in the city – that is only for Natural Sidra, this does not include, liquors or sparkling Sidra
How to drink Sidra
Begin with a long pour or the "Colene", where the cider is poured from at least a meter from bottle to glass, to release the carbonic gases.
The glass is held on a slight angle to catch the pour.
About an 1/8 of a cup is poured into each glass
It should be frothy and drunk right away. One does not sniff and swill the cider.
Instead, Sidra is gulped back, except for a small amount which you leave in the glass to be poured out to the ground on the side of the glass where you just drank and then passed back to the pourer who will then serve another person out of the same glass.
The Annual International Hall of Gala Ciders takes place September, usually at the end of the month in Xixón, Asturias.
There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
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