Why Lemon & Ginger??
When we were thinking about another way to enjoy our Vintage Ciders we started to look at what are the characteristics of cider and what are the attributes that make it such an easy drinking and appealing beverage!
Ciders are generally light flavoured refreshing drinks, with a clean palate and little signs of astringency or bitterness, that some people associate with wine and beer.
Our Vintage cider is a combination of cider production and sparkling wine. Like all ciders the apples are crushed and the juice then fermented. With our Vintage Cider after the fermentation we then bottle with yeast and a little sugar. The fermentation continues in the bottle producing a little more alcohol and Carbon Dioxide (CO2 or Bubbles).
Fermentation of beverages has been around for 1000s of years, with yeasts producing alcohol and CO2 from sugars and rendering grape juice into wine, malted barley into beer and apples into Cider.
The benefits and appeal or renewed interest in fermented foods has blossomed of late. Kimchi, yogurt, Apple Cider Vinegar and Kombucha are all now readily available and the benefits proclaimed almost in equal weighing to how delicious most of them are!
We took some cues from these, in particular Apple Cider Vinegar and Kombucha and combined it with the attributes of our traditional methodology in producing Vintage Ciders.
Our Vintage Ciders are fermented in the bottle that we sell to you. This means even with the riddling, disgorge and dosage (all tech wine terms) the final product still has some yeast present in it. One of the original fermented foods!
So, with that in mind we chose our favourite, and what we think are the most refreshing flavours that would suit our cider.
Lemon to add a little extra acid to cleanse the palate as well make it more acidic like apple cider vinegar and Ginger to add a spiciness and zing that are sometimes associated with kombucha.
We think the combo is pretty good, a light, refreshing drink with a “Zing” that lifts it above the norm. A cider that refreshes and leaves your palate ready for another sip. All produced in a traditional way, calling on a combination of years of beverage production.
Of course, just like the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, Kombucha or other fermented foods – bread and salami, the benefits of moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is much debated.
Just remember our Vintage Cider is alcoholic and excess consumption can have negative health and social effects.
So, remember, Please Drink Wisely, drink quality and maybe if you’re looking for something new, try our Vintage Cider Zinger.
Cheers
John Reid
Winemaker
