GILL — After a successful trial run last fall, Altamira Ciderworks is hosting a music festival and cider tasting this weekend.
The family-friendly festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 8 p.m. at 10 Cross Road. It will feature a lineup of folk, country and indie musicians from across New England, coupled with opportunities for traditional Spanish cider tasting from products made at the cidery. The festival is free to attend, with food, cider and tickets for a raffle requiring purchase.
This festival is a dual effort by Joey and James Asbel, with James Asbel, the cidery’s founder, saying his son is the “impresario.”
The lineup will include Banning Eyre, which will kick off the festival at 1 p.m., followed by Zoe Pete Ford, The Horses and Holystone.
An element that is continuing from last year is a fundraiser for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, for which last year’s word-of-mouth gathering raised $3,750. James Asbel explained that this campaign was Joey’s idea, inspired by his grandmother battling the disease. Proceeds from a raffle of items donated by local artists and cider sales will go toward this cause.
The appeal for having a festival at the cidery is the view and structure of the land, James Asbel said. On the 60-tree orchard, there is a hill that overlooks the valley. Guests will be able to sit there and watch the bands as they play at the bottom of the hill on a stage.
“We love to have it,” James Asbel said about the festival, “because one of the reasons that we purchased this property and started our operation here is that it’s a very beautiful place to have people come.”
James Asbel noted this is the only opportunity for the cidery to serve its cider on-site.
Spanish cider, or sidra in Spanish, James Asbel explained, is unique for its roots in the Asturias region of Spain where the cider-making tradition of pressing the apples with natural fermentation was created, yielding a more acidic cider. The name of the orchard and cider, Altamira Ciderworks, takes inspiration from the Cave of Altamira in northern Spain where cave art from the paleolithic era was discovered. The bull design for the cidery comes from these cave paintings. Altamira also means “high view,” which is representative of the cidery’s setting on a hill overlooking the valley.
Prior to his journey into cider-making from his own orchard in 2022, James Asbel has been involved in exporting Spanish cider for decades, saying he was part of the introduction of Spanish ciders into the U.S. However, the trees in his orchard, some of which are imported from Spain in the Asturias region, just yielded their first apples this year. Until his orchard begins producing more apples, he uses apples that are sourced from other orchards in the region to make his ciders.
To help with production, James Asbel said a cohort of “young, agriculturally oriented people” helps gather apples that are then brought back to Altamira Ciderworks to be pressed. They take some of the cider they make, while some of it is stored. Now, this effort is paying off as the cidery makes a soft debut this weekend.
“This is our inaugural year of selling, and it’s really a soft opening because we’re only doing two selling events,” James Asbel explained, adding that for the festival his son has put together, “we’re kind of background to his event, but we have our tasting room open, and so people can meander a few feet to our tasting room and taste.”
For those who are interested in trying the cider, James Asbel said there will be flights of Altamira cider for sale, along with ciders made by others at his orchard.
Festival parking is available, with signs indicating where to park on site. A rain date is not available, but the backup festival location is Gill Town Hall at 325 Main Road.
