Chris Shanahan: Apple isle cider style

The two ciders reviewed today, like the Adelaide Hills products reviewed last week, show the breadth of the craft cider movement in Australia – a movement intent on using natural production techniques and locally grown apples and pears.

The Two Metre Tall Company, owned by Ashley and Jane Huntington, originally brewed real ale but moved to cider production when they discovered the Griggs family growing the traditional English apple cider variety, sturmer pippin, in the Huon Valley.

Ashley, formerly a winemaker for BRL Hardy in France’s Languedoc region, makes the ciders as well as beer from locally grown grains and hops.

The Cidery, located at Bridgetown, Western Australia, makes juice and a range of ciders from apples grown in the long-established Blackwood Valley orchard region.

The idiosyncratic ciders below contrast dramatically in style – the first revealing subtle, pure fruit flavour; the second the grungy characters of prolonged ageing.

The Two Metre Tall Company Farmhouse Dry Cider 500ml $9.90
Ashley Huntington makes this dry, 7.5 per cent, bottle-fermented cider from the traditional English variety, sturmer pippin, grown by the Griggs family in the Huon Valley. The alcohol disappears without trace in a pleasantly tart, dry palate. The fresh, natural apple acidity accentuates the subtle, fresh, delicate apple flavour.

The Cidery Scudamore’s Real Scrumpy Cider 330ml $5.00
The Cidery makes its ciders from pink lady apples grown in Western Australia’s Blackmore Valley. They add no sugar, water, preservative, concentrate or flavour. Their scrumpy storms deliciously over the palate with its eight per cent alcohol and the oxidative, vinegary and sherry-like notes derived from prolonged ageing in barrels.