Near Bareyo you'll find Cantabrian natural cider to try and buy from two producers: 45 Amigos, at the Valdepomme estate (Bárcena de Cicero, ten minutes from Santoña), with guided visits and direct sales; and Somarroza, in Renedo de Piélagos, named the world's best natural cider in 2025. Every July, Escalante also holds its Cider Day.
When people talk about cider in Spain, the first thing that comes to mind is usually Asturias or the Basque Country. But on Cantabria's eastern coast, between Santoña and the Pas valley, the apple has its own place too: there are orchards that have been bearing fruit for generations, and a handful of producers who, over the past fifteen years, have revived a cider-making tradition that never fully disappeared here — it just became smaller and less well known.
From Bareyo, that cider is closer than it looks. In Bárcena de Cicero, just past Santoña, the Valdepomme estate makes 45 Amigos cider almost apple by apple. On the way to Santander, in Piélagos, Somarroza has been bottling for over a decade and in 2025 won the title of best natural cider in the world. And every summer, Escalante — the neighbouring village — brings together producers from half of Spain at its cider fair. None of these three plans requires straying far from home.
45 Amigos, the cider born on the Valdepomme estate
At the Valdepomme estate, in the neighbouring municipality of Bárcena de Cicero and just over ten minutes by car from Santoña, Gonzalo Garrido Arsuaga and Juan José Hierro Muñoz left city life behind to dedicate themselves to the apple. That's how 45 Amigos was born, a nod to everyone who has lent a hand at some point with the pruning, picking, pressing, bottling or labelling. The estate holds more than 1,600 apple trees of native varieties — xuanina, regona, raxao, verdialona, de la riega, solarina and durona de tresali — grown without pesticides or chemical products. They make their natural cider with seven of those varieties, and use the rest of the harvest for jam, compote, vinegar and juice. Visitors can walk through the orchard and the cider house, watch the apples being pressed and finish with a tasting; it's worth booking ahead, as visits are arranged by request.
Somarroza: from Piélagos to the world cider podium
A bit further away, on the way to Santander, in Renedo de Piélagos, the family behind Somarroza has been reviving Cantabrian cider since 2010, at a time when almost no one in the region was making it. Jesús Gómez Solórzano started out running the business, and today his daughter Lucía Gómez Prieto handles much of it; between the two generations, they've gone from a single cider to a catalogue of eleven varieties, including natural, organic and sparkling ones. The recognition has come twice over: in 2022 they received the Alimentos de Cantabria Innovation Award, the quality seal the Cantabrian regional government gives to producers from the region, and in 2025 their natural cider was named the best in the world in its category at the World Cider Awards, ahead of ciders from Asturias, the Basque Country and England. We haven't been able to confirm regular visits to their cider house: the safest way to try it is to order through their online shop or look for it in specialist shops in Cantabria.
Escalante's Cider Day, the closest festival to home
If you'd rather try several ciders in one sitting without travelling far from Bareyo, Escalante — under fifteen minutes by car — holds its Cider Day every July, organised by the Escalante Pomological Association. The fair has been pouring cider from Cantabrian producers alongside others from Asturias, the Basque Country, Galicia and France for over two decades now, and is probably the region's most important cider event of the year. You can taste, buy and compare without booking a table anywhere: just head to the square on the day.
What you need to know
- 45 Amigos and Somarroza make Cantabrian natural cider, different in cultivation and character from Asturian cider, though it shares the tradition of pouring it from a height to aerate it.
- To visit the Valdepomme estate and the 45 Amigos cider house, it's best to book ahead at info@45amigos.com or on 942 64 65 04.
- Somarroza's cider is mostly bought through its online shop (sidrasomarroza.es) and at specialist shops in Cantabria; we haven't confirmed regular visits open to the public at its cider house in Piélagos.
- Autumn is picking and bottling season, but both ciders can be bought and enjoyed year-round.
- Escalante's Cider Day is held in July, in the village square, and no booking is needed to go and taste or buy.
"Cantabrian cider doesn't imitate Asturian cider: it has its own apples, its own history, and, since 2025, even the title of best natural cider in the world."
Between the Valdepomme estate, the cider house in Piélagos and Escalante's square in July, there's enough Cantabrian natural cider for several days' stay in Bareyo without repeating a single plan. If you also enjoyed our craft beer route near Bareyo, this is the perfect excuse to keep working through the list of local producers worth visiting at a relaxed pace. At Bareyo Residences we're still keeping room for those who prefer to plan their getaway ahead of time: September 2027 still has open dates for anyone wanting to book their week of cider, beach and unhurried Trasmiera.
