Cider

PASSION, OBSESSION AND A CIDER IN HAND

I’m crawling around on my hands and knees in muddy wet grass under an apple tree. The ground is littered with fallen fruit: most of the apples are bruised and rotten and squish through the fabric of my trousers as I kneel on them, filling the air with the sharp smell of vinegar. And it’s beginning to rain.

WORDS MAX ALLEN

But I can’t remember the last time I was this happy. Why? Because, despite the damp and dirt and drizzle, hiding amongst the long grass are dozens and dozens of perfectly good, whole, ripe apples - wind fallen fruit, neglected by the teams of pickers who swept through this orchard a few days ago. A free bounty waiting for me to come along, pick it up, take it home and turn it into cider.

Every autumn for the last few years I’ve repeated this ritual - convincing a friendly orchardist to let me fill my car with a boot load of wind fallen apples, then inviting family and friends over to help me wash, crush and press the fruit and then pour the juice into glass demijohns to allow the magic of fermentation to do its thing.

As you’ve probably gathered, I’m obsessed with cider. Oh, sure, I still love wine - after twenty years as a wine columnist I love it more than ever. But cider’s my true passion.

I was born in the West Country of England - cider central. My first exposure to alcohol was cider - big plastic bottles of hangover-inducing Woodpecker Medium Dry. And now, decades later, you’re still just as likely to find a glass of cider on the table at dinnertime at my house as you are a glass of wine - especially if there’s a roast pork or gourmet cheese on the table too. I just love the stuff.

And I’m not alone. Over the last ten years there has been an explosion of interest in cider in Australia. The market for fermented apple and pear juice has grown enormously - particularly among younger drinkers - and the number

of Australian cider producers and brands has exploded from around only a dozen in the mid2000s to more than 150 today.

For this cider-loving booze hack, the boom has been an absolute bonanza. Suddenly, the newspapers and magazines I write for all want stories on this new trending drink. And of course, I’ve been more than happy to oblige by immersing myself in in-depth - ahem - research.

I’ve crisscrossed the country looking for new orchards and producers, from the damp coastal forests of southern Tasmania to the high volcanic slopes of central New South Wales; from the flat irrigation country of Victoria’s Goulburn Valley to the hard mining country of Burra in South Australia. The title of this magazine is perfect, in fact - to really get to know what’s happening out there in the Australian cider scene, you need to go exploring - and if you do, you’ll find an increasing number of cider makers willing to welcome you and show you what they’re up to.

I’ve found that the cider world is populated by some great characters. I’ve encountered all types, from bearded, corduroy-wearing ex-academics to bearded, tattooed hipsters; I’ve met struggling second generation Italian fruit growers whose businesses have been given a new lease of life by the cider boom; I’ve also come across hungry-eyed entrepreneurs jumping onto the cider bandwagon, and starryeyed artisans who are definitely not in it for the money. I love that there is now an enormous number of ciders available in Australia, both locallyproduced and imported - not least because it increases the options of what I can drink with dinner. Twenty years ago, the choice was limited to Strongbow and Mercury. Now I can easily - and regularly do - indulge in all sorts of deliciously classic cider and food combos - knackwurst and sauerkraut with tart German apfelwein; oozing, pungent camembert with rich, golden French cidre; pork pie and pickled onions with a pint of funky West Country scrumpy; rustic, cloudy Tasmanian farmhouse cider with a big bowl of mussels - which have been simmered, of course, in the same cider I’m drinking. The list goes on.

As the cider industry has boomed, so has the number of cider competitions and shows, both here and around the world - which is how I found myself a couple of years ago in a marquee at the Royal Bath and West Show, at the UK’s biggest cider judging - lots of ruddy faced gentlemen in Barbour jackets being terribly polite about the flagons of cider exhibited, before tottering off for a lovely lunch of coronation chicken and cucumber sandwiches. The more I’ve travelled and talked and tasted and judged around the world, though, the more I’ve learned to appreciate the history of cider in Australia. Most people assume the current cider boom is Australia’s first, but nothing could be further from the truth. A visit to the old stone-and-timber apple mill and press at the convict-built 1840s farm property Woolmers, south of Launceston, brought home to me that the drink has been popular here for well over 100 years. And there have been other booms before this current one too - back in the 1960s and 70s, a party wasn’t a party if the Esky wasn’t full of bottles of now-forgotten brands such as Lillydale Sparkling Dry Cider or cans of Pakenham Draught Cider.

Unlike those previous surges, though, the modern interest in cider looks like continuing for a good while yet. There’s more investment in cider making facilities, more focus on ciderbased tourism, marketing and distribution, and more orchards being planted especially for cider production.

Which fortunately for me, means a lot more opportunities to crawl around on my hands and knees in the rain gathering windfalls.

HILLBILLY CIDER

YOUR ‘HILLBILLIFICATION’ STARTS HERE

Living the ‘hillbilly lifestyle’ in Bilpin, the heart of NSW’s Blue Mountains, surrounded by apple trees, was Shane and Tessa’s inspiration for creating this local favourite cider.

With 20 years of wine and cider making under his belt, Shane adapted techniques from time spent in cider regions around the world, including Normandy, Hereford and Somerset. He blends classic Aussie apples as well as heritage cider apples, which are reflected in the brand’s different styles.

This range of styles has resulted in the numerous awards Hillbilly has won every year since launching, including ‘Best in Class’ three times in the Australian Cider Awards and the highest scoring Aussie cider in the UK’s International Cider Awards in 2015, taking away a silver medal.

Shane’s approach is to keep it simple – using 100% apples with no artificial flavours or added sugar. The range includes the Scrumpy cider, made from heritage cider apples; an oakaged Vintage cider and the Sweet Julie cider, which is the only cider in the world made from the Julie apple. The apple and pear ciders are mainly fermented cold in stainless steel tanks to retain the natural CO2, which in turn creates a natural bead leading to a Champagne-style mouthfeel.

The Hillbilly ciders are available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide on a limited basis, and more widely in their local area of the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury.

For those wanting to get their ‘hillbillification’ started, a trip to the Hillbilly Cider Shed in Bilpin gives you a chance to try the ciders straight out of the barrel. In addition, Shane produces small batch ciders only available on site. Visitors are able to pick Julie apples when in season. This chance seedling apple is the first one found in the Sydney and Blue Mountains area since the Granny Smith apple was discovered in the same way 100 years ago. Plant breeder rights have been granted to orchardists Bill and Julie Shields, who discovered the apple growing on their property.

Getting back to that theme of living a simple hillbilly life, Shane and Tess can be regularly spotted out and about in the mountains in their ex-military Land Rover truck, delivering Hillbilly Cider to their loyal following.

“It’s meant to be camouflaged, but everybody seems to notice it,” laughs Shane.

TASTING NOTES

HILLBILLY APPLE CIDER

APPEARANCE: Naturally carbonated, which gives a beautiful creamy bead

AROMA: You can smell the apple orchard in your glass

FLAVOUR: Made from 100% whole crushed mountain apples, it has a wellrounded taste and a crisp, refreshing finish

HILLBILLY CRUSHED PEAR CIDER

APPEARANCE: Vibrant pale gold

AROMA: Hints of ripe pear

HILLBILLY VINTAGE CIDER

APPEARANCE: A small smooth creamy bead, not unlike Champagne

AROMA: Fully ripened apples with a whiff of French oak

FLAVOUR: This cider is double fermented in French oak to create an exciting limited release. The palate is dry with hints of crème caramel

FLAVOUR: Australian Cider Awards Best in Class 2016 and 2014. Rich and indulgent flavours dance around the palate

NON-ALCOHOLIC APPLE CIDER

APPEARANCE: Lightly golden

AROMA: Delicious apple aromas

FLAVOUR: Scrumptious apple flavours in an alcoholic-free cider! There’s no added sugar and its gluten free.

SCRUMPY CIDER

APPEARANCE: Cloudy – awaken this cider by gently rolling the bottle before opening

AROMA: A little funk from the heritage apples

FLAVOUR: Inspired by a Somerset scrumpy cider, it’s packed full of apple-y flavour.

SWEET JULIE CIDER

APPEARANCE: Golden

AROMA: Lovely sweet florals

FLAVOUR: Australian Cider Awards Best in Class 2016. The only cider in the world using the Julie apple, grown in Bilpin, NSW. It’s sweet with vibrant red apple flavours

FRANK’S CIDER

Frank’s story is one of six generations of growing apples and pears in Tasmania. Born in 1894, Frank was the third generation of the Clark Family to tend the orchards at Woodside, Franklin in Tasmania’s scenic Huon Valley. His grandfather was the first permanent white settler in the area, clearing the land in the 1830s. Following this, the initial apple and pear trees were planted in 1838, with commercial plantings taking place in the 1850s.

Frank lived at Woodside all his life, clearing the bush and planting more orchards. He used pit saws for felling gums and horses for working the orchard, with the first tractor purchased in 1952. The trees flourished in the rich soil on the banks of the Huon River. An old recipe found by the family proves he also enjoyed a home brewed cider at the end of the day.

Almost 100 years after Frank’s time, his granddaughter Naomie Clark-Port and her husband Tony Port established the Franklin Cider Co. and began creating cider, which they named after Frank!

Frank’s multi-award winning ciders are proudly made from 100% Tasmanian fruit. Naomie and Tony believe that “If it doesn’t grow in Tasmania, it doesn’t go into our cider!”

This includes cane sugar, so Frank’s ciders are proudly both sugar and gluten-free. Only Woodside juice is used in the blend to create a medium-level sweetness after fermentation.

As the growers of the high-quality fruit that is the basis of Frank’s Ciders, their philosophy is to maximise fruit complexity, sweetness and flavour by tree ripening.

The apples and pears that go into Frank’s Ciders are tree-ripened for maximum quality and flavour, with some even harvested from trees that Frank planted over 100 years ago.

The main apple variety used is the old-fashioned Golden Delicious, which has crisp, sweet flesh and is one of the juiciest there is. Heritage apple types – such as Cox’s Orange Pippin – are also added to the blend.

The pears grown at Woodside are traditional varieties with high tannin content. They produce a pear cider with great complexity. Once the fruit is harvested, the team at Winemaking Tasmania creates Frank’s ciders. Their role is to assist boutique producers who do not have their own facilities.

Working closely with expert cider makers, Naomie and Tony believe that their role is to grow the best quality fruit. They maintain, “It’s best to let the experts guide us on the finer points of fermentation and blending.”

The Frank’s range includes both tank fermented and barrel aged ciders. Each one is sparkling, medium-sweet and bursting with natural fruit flavour. Clarity through high filtration and minimal preservative levels are also a feature. This is REAL CIDER, with no pasteurisation and not one drop of concentrate!

TASTING NOTES

FRANK’S SUMMER APPLE CIDER

APPEARANCE: Light golden, clear and sparkling

AROMA: Fresh apple and cinnamon

FLAVOUR: A fruity blend of tree ripened Golden Delicious apples with spice overtones

FRANK’S SUMMER PEAR CIDER

APPEARANCE: Straw coloured, clear and sparkling

AROMA: ‘Just picked’ pear with hints of tropical fruit

FLAVOUR: A deliciously crisp and refreshing semi-sweet perry

FRANK’S CHERRY/ PEAR CIDER

APPEARANCE: Deep cherry red

AROMA: A fusion of ripe cherry with a hint of pear

FLAVOUR: The subtle flavours of real cherries and pears combine to produce a sparkling, mediumsweet temptation that is perfectly balanced and delicious

THIRSTY LIKE THE WOLF: LOBO CIDER

Lobo Cider began in 2006 with a series of breaking experiments in cider making out in the shed of a farm. After a few trials – and more than a few errors – Warwick and Michael decided that there’s no time like the present to launch your own Cider range.

Michael Stafford, a fifth generation apple grower, was raised on his family farm ‘Stafford Orchards’ in Lenswood, Adelaide hills.

Tending to an abundance of apples, cherries and pears, Michael spotted a possible new enterprise in cider making.

Fortunately, this was around the time that a mutual friend introduced him to Warwick Billings, who was working in the wine industry in Riverland.

Warwick grew up in Somerset England – one of the ancestral homes of good cider – and was making award-winning ciders there all throughout the eighties.

Wishing to study winemaking – in order to become a better cider maker – Warwick returned to Australia, where he pursued higher education at Adelaide University in Roseworthy.

So as provision and craft intertwined, it was from Michael’s apples and Warwick’s love of fermentation that Lobo Cider was born.

Utilising a simple method really, Warwick ensures that Lobo ciders are full of flavour by leaving them unfiltered – a taste that customers really enjoy.

Today, Lobo producers a range of ciders each with its own unique flavour profile and characteristics.

For their small batch ciders, Michael specifically grows English cider apples, which are not very good for eating but are full of flavour and tannins that make an interesting and complex cider. Warwick also makes cider out of eating apples, mostly Pink Lady, for which they have adapted a more traditional approach that results in a more complete beverage with various layers of flavour.

The boys have also experimented in the past with producing a couple of popular perries – pear ciders – and they have even released a traditional cyser, or mead, made using fermented honey.

As for the name, Warwick was working in Spain where he happened upon the knowledge that Lobo translates to wolf in the local tongue. Lobo is also a juicy apple variety grown mostly in Canada, and Lobo Cider is based on the Lobethal Road in Lenswood, Michaels hometown.

And so it was a name that appeared to work well for the crafty duo.

TASTING NOTES

LOBO CYSER

APPEARANCE: Pale yellow-gold colour

AROMA: Spice, honey and yeast

FLAVOUR: Apple and quince flavours moderate the honey sweetness and give a rounded flavour. Honey flavours, with some floral and a difficult to identify fruitiness

LOBO CLOUDY APPLE CIDER

APPEARANCE: The original cloudy Lobo, a pale yellow colour, cloudy if rolled, clear if poured carefully

AROMA: Apples with hints of apple pie and spice

FLAVOUR: Full flavoured, apples and more, gentle fizz, good length with a clean finish

LOBO NORMAN LOBO TRAD

APPEARANCE: Slightly cloudy, golden colour

AROMA: Complex apple and toffee apple

FLAVOUR: Rich and full, dried apple and toffee apples follow from the aroma, moderate fizz, clean and refreshing, lightly tannic finish

APPEARANCE: Hearty deep golden cloudy cider

AROMA: Spicy cider apple nose with apple and some farmhouse funk

FLAVOUR: Full flavoured, intense apples and complex dried fruits with leathery notes and chewy tannins, long dry finish that lingers and calls for more

WILLIE SMITHS AUSTRALIA’S FIRST CERTIFIED ORGANIC CIDERY

A fourth-generation Huon Valley farming family is aiming to return Tasmania to the `Apple Isle’.

William Smith & Sons is Australia’s first certified organic cidery, built at the farm in the Huon Valley where William Smith first started orcharding in 1888. Andrew Smith, the fourth generation family member to farm in the Huon, currently runs the orchard.

The Smith family is synonymous with southern Tasmania - Andrew Smith’s great grandfather first planted apple trees at his Grove property in 1888 and the orchard has operated continuously since.

``My great-grandfather William, whom the product is affectionately named after, would be so proud to see the orchard expanding in the direction it is. He first saw the true beauty and possibilities of the Huon Valley and we are excited to be adding to his legacy in such as positive fashion,’’ said Andrew. Willie Smiths’ Organic Cider was inspired by the cider making process of Northern France. It’s a crafted cider and, like the French style, is matured in oak vats which creates a distinctive farmhouse style - full of character and flavour.

Master Cider Maker Tim Jones has crafted Willie Smiths using the farm’s 100 per cent organic apples, he says of the end product: ``It has a light and refreshing acidity married with rounded warm apple flavours and a notable tannin structure to create a perfectly balanced palate and a easy cleansing finish.”

``The aroma holds red apple, toasty oak and fresh citrus flavours that are mirrored on the palate. Willie Smith is a unique and interesting character in a world of the sweet and the simple; we hope you will fall in love with him as we have.’’ Willie Smiths’ Organic Cider is a product for those who enjoy a return to simple pleasures. All the ciders use apples grown on the farm; the fruit is also crushed, fermented, aged and bottled without ever leaving the farm! You can be guaranteed that everything is 100 per cent natural.

Andrew’s business partner in Willie Smith’s, Sam Reid, is formerly from Tasmania and firmly believes the cider will be on par with the best from France.

``I’d like to think Tasmania and Australia can be recognised as world class producers of cider and perhaps even do what the wine industry did and export our product back to where it originated,’’ Sam said.

TASTING NOTES

WILLIE SMITHS ORGANIC CIDER

5.4% ABV

APPEARANCE: Straw colour, cloudy

AROMA: Complex aromas of rounded fresh apple and sweet spice

FLAVOUR: Fresh apple flavours overlaying spicy complexity. Fullbodied, medium sweetness with a slight drying finish

WILLIE SMITH’S FARMHOUSE PERRY

4.7% ABV

APPEARANCE: Pale straw, cloudy

AROMA: Lifted fresh pear with complex farmhouse aromatics

FLAVOUR: Juicy pear flavours, balanced acidity and full mouthfeel

WILLIE SMITHS BONE DRY

6.9% ABV

APPEARANCE: Pale straw

AROMA: Spicy dry cider aromas with slight malolactic buttery notes

FLAVOUR: Very dry complex flavours including green apple notes, spice and strong French oak mouth feel

SMALL ACRES CYDER TRADITIONAL CIDERS WITHOUT COMPROMISE

With more than 50 awards under their belt, including Australia’s Most Successful Small Producer at the 2017 Australian Cider Awards, you could say it has been a successful tree change for owners Gail and James Kendell.

English born Gail and Australian born James prefer to take a winemaking approach to their ciders, using only the fresh juice that is pressed from apples and pears, creating different styles using the unique natural flavours already present in the cider variety apples grown in their orchard. It’s no wonder the likes of Max Allen are commenting, “Small Acres Cyder produces wonderfully authentic, full flavoured ciders using proper old fashioned cider apples.”

Gail grew up in the southwest English town of Bristol and after marrying an Aussie and moving to Australia in 2000, quickly found that the Australian cider market did not have the breadth of cider styles that she had enjoyed back in her home country.

James began his twenty-year career in the beverage industry while living in the United Kingdom. His one passion has always been cider and cider making, which in 2005 drove him to leave the corporate world and start Small Acres Cyder, now an award winning cidery situated in the apple growing region of Orange, NSW. Small Acres Cyder is committed to producing ciders without compromise; traditional English and French style ciders along with more contemporary Australian styles. There is no added water, no added sugar and no added flavourings in any of their ciders.

Gail and James are fiercely local in their approach, growing their own cider variety apples and using only locally grown fruit to supplement supply from their own orchard.

“We only grow cider apples in our orchard. Using these varieties is the only way you can make the wine like structured, more European cider styles, that we produce,” said Gail.

“Cider doesn’t have to be sweet and fizzy, it can be as elegant and well structured as any white wine, as long as you start with the proper fruit and care about how you make it.”

This approach has lead the Kendell’s to create a cider range that matches to food including: Three Methode Traditionnelle products, bottle fermented, hand riddled and disgorged (some with up to 30 months on lees), that could rival the best sparkling wines.

Three apple wines that draw on the inspiration of the still cider styles from the UK and Apfelwein styles of Germany, that match as well with pork as any white wine.

An Ice Cider based on the techniques used by the Canadian Ice winemakers that is a musthave with apple-based desserts or a selection of soft cheeses.

Australia’s first “Pommeau” a fortified cider taking over four years to make and using the oak barrel aging techniques used by the best port makers.

“With all our ciders, the process starts well before scratting and pressing, it starts in the orchard nine months before an apple is picked, or pressed. Pruning is completed during the cold months of winter when the tree is dormant. Pruning helps shape the tree for the coming season, ensuring sunlight is let into into the canopy,” said James.

TASTING NOTES

SMALL ACRES CYDER SPARKLING PERRY

7.5% ABV

APPEARANCE: The Sparkling Perry is a classic Hereford county English style vintage Perry

AROMA: Fragrant aromas of fresh pears and pear skin on the nose

FLAVOUR: The palate has clean natural pear flavours, some ginger and spice on the mid palate carried by a fine bead and medium dry finish. Match with a walnut and pear salad

SMALL ACRES CYDER SOMERSET STILL

8% ABV

APPEARANCE: Clear and bright

AROMA: Somerset Still has a delicate aroma of earthy green apples

FLAVOUR: Crisp green apple and farmhouse characters continue on the palate, finishing refreshingly clean and dry with some intriguing tannin grip to finish.

SMALL ACRES CYDER POMMEAU

17% ABV

APPEARANCE: Deep caramel

AROMA: Rich and heady

FLAVOUR: Pommeau has soft mellow apple fruitiness with mature toffee apple on the palate and hints of oak and spirit warmth to finish. It is a rich and rewarding cider best used as an aperitif or digestive