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Read this article in Spanish here.
Anthony Copriviza spent three years in Spain in search of a degree in finance. Returning there with his wife Natalie after graduation, he discovered the wild-fermented natural apple ciders produced in the northern part of the county. Together, they founded Pelayo Cider, bringing the unique taste of Asturian cider to Hollister.
“We took a lot of trips up to Asturias in the Basque country,” he said. “I just fell in love with their style of cider, the production and the culture.”
Called “sidra natural” by the Spanish, Copriviza said the cider’s history can be traced back to ancient times.
“There are pre-Roman writings talking about this apple drink that they would make,” he said. “One of the key things that makes it different from others is that it’s essentially still cider with no additives of any kind.”
Copriviza uses apples from his family’s 100-year-old 30-acre orchard in Watsonville. “The city used to be called the Apple Capital of the World,” he said. “But a lot of the land went to berries because there was more money to be made. But we are seeing more and more apple orchards popping up and hopefully people are beginning to appreciate apples more.”
The apples are crushed, and left in open containers for a few days to trigger primary fermentation, then transferred to fermenters.
“We’re relying on the native yeast,” Copriviza said. “Just whatever is in the barn or on the apples, whatever happens to be on the skin, so it can take a little bit longer than if you’re adding champagne or white wine yeast.”
After six months, the cider is racked to remove the gross lees and then allowed to age for another four or five months before being bottled. Copriviza said the cider ages well and hits its peak in two to three years.
Production is seasonal and the Coprivizas were doing it on a small scale for about seven years before they launched their first commercial harvest in 2021.
“We started making our own version of in carboys at home in the garage,” he said. “We were just giving it to friends and family—didn’t have any license or anything like that.”
They made several trips back to Asturias, which, Copriviza said, provided 90% of their working knowledge of cider making. He also attended courses at Washington State University, studying microbiology to understand some of the chemistry behind the process.
“In a lot of places in the world,” he said, “cider would be considered a wine. With both, you’re taking a fruit product and fermenting it, so cider and wine are similar. I think it gets lumped in with beer because of the packaging and carbonation.”
One of the keys to their cider is the mix of Newtown Pippin, Fuji, Mutsu and Gravenstein apples they use. Copriviza said that the varieties of apples have distinct tastes and are fermented separately for blending, working with them the same way a winery would work with varieties of grapes.
“I think it’s really fun to taste single varietals,” he said. “But to make a product that we’re happy with, and again it follows what we learned in Spain, they always do a blend of different types of apples to get a flavor they are happy with.”
Pelayo Cider comes in two different blends, a more vibrant canned version and a more mature bottled version. It is traditionally poured into a glass from an arm’s length away, called “throwing” the cider, which is supposed to volatilize it, releasing the carbonation and bringing out more of the flavor. (The Pelayo label features a sketch of cider being poured.)
On June 20, from 5-7 p.m., Crave will be hosting Pelayo Cider for a pop-up tasting event. Expect Copriviza to show off his skills as he pours the cider on high in the traditional Asturian fashion.
The Ciders of Pelayo
Pelayo Cider, 6.2% ABV (Can, 250ml)- The canned version is the lighter and sweeter of the two ciders. The abundant aroma is reminiscent of a pinot gris, with hints of citrus peel and lemon blossoms. There is a similar crispness, with medium acidity, a discernible earthiness, sour lemony tones and a slight carbonation that makes the cider more closely resemble a Pétillant Naturel. If you are expecting a Martinelli’s sparkling cider kind of apple-sweetness, you won’t find it here—the taste is much deeper and more mature. It can be served in the can, but pouring it into a wine glass does help open the flavor quite a bit. I can see pairing this on a picnic with deli sandwiches on good sourdough bread, at dinner with poached white fish or drinking on its own, icy cold.
2021 Pelayo Cider Reserve (Bottle, 500ml) – The reserve is aged longer on lees and is a subtly different product. The aroma is lighter and less insistent. The flavor is tart and more complex, with a much more layered apple flavor. Copriviza described the taste as having “light notes of funk and acidity common to sour beers.” I don’t get the funk as much as I do base notes that remind me of the leathery taste of apple peel, a bit of apple cider vinegar and the toasted bread flavor of yeast. This would be great as a cheese-board pairing, with some brie and crackers, a few dried cranberries, and peppered salami. My initial impression led me to prefer the canned version, but, having tried them several times since, I lean toward the bottled version as being the more interesting of the two.
Pelayo Cider is available at Windmill Market in San Juan Bautista and at Crave Wine Company in Hollister. It can be ordered through their website and can be found in restaurants and bars throughout California.
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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