NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON – Organic and biodynamic winery Southbrook Vineyards has announced the release of its first ever cider.
Organic Wild Ferment Cider is a 7% abv “bone-dry, European-style craft cider” is described as follows:
Wild Ferment Cider is created using delicious, balanced juice from hand-harvested apples grown at Avalon Orchards, a certified organic orchard in Innisfil, Ontario. Pressed at the orchard and transported immediately to the winery without pasteurization nor preservatives, the juice (33 per cent each Nova Mac, Liberty and Nova Spy, 0.5 per cent each Goldrush and Pricilla varietals) was allowed to settle, and then added to the active wild yeast from a natural fermentation of biodynamic white wine. After a long cool fermentation, the cider was bottled with 11 grams/litre of residual sugar. The effervescence was captured by completing fermentation in the bottles, yielding a bubbly expression of the collaboration between Ontario organic farms. No additions of any kind – sulphites, sweeteners, acids nor tannins – were made.
Further described as being “golden, moderately effervescent and dry with bright apple flavours in the glass,” the 2016 vintage of Southbrook Organic Wild Ferment Cider is available now in a limited run of 750 ml bottles at the winery tasting room (retailing for $15.95 per bottle), as well as via home delivery, and at select bars and restaurants in Ontario.