Asturias is known for sidra natural. Nava, 30 km east of Oviedo and 40 km south of Gijón, is known as the heart of sidra within Asturias. Called Villa de la Sidra, Nava is home to the Museo de la Sidra and a number of local sidrerías. I took a quick bus ride from Gijon through Oviedo to reach Nava mid-day to visit the museum and stop for a few bottles to sample and take to-go.

Very similar to the sidra museum I visited a week before in the Basque Country.

The museum is designed with a single, large, circular, wooden room containing sidra making equipment, demonstrations of process, the science of malolactic fermentation and the culture of sidra in Asturias. Tour guides are available for groups, but scheduling an English-speaking tour guide may take some forethought. I jumped into a group being guided in Spanish and did well enough.

There is also a small shop selling bottles of sidra natural, glassware and other breweriana (or sidreríana?).

Sidrerías scattered throughout Nava, few of them are actually tied to the actual sidra producers, rather many use the name Sidrería for any old place to drink sidra. You get used to that.

At La Figar Sidreria.

Products from Sidrería Lagar, the Orizon Sidra Natural on the left, and Novalin on the right (taken to-go).

This was one of the best lunches I’ve ever had. Spicy, rich, semi-hard chorizo from a local butcher, on top of fresh market tomato and a baguette. The fat in the chorizo does wonders with the acidity of the tomato. Beauty in simplicity.

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