How It’s Made
Wild Apples
For us, cider begins with the quality and character of the apples. All our apples are handpicked on Cape Breton island from wild and forgotten trees.
Some of these trees are 100+ years, found on old homesteads, used by past generations to make sauces, jellies, pies, fresh juice, vinegar and although I haven’t found many that will admit it to it, you have to imagine they were making cider. The bulk of our apples were not planted by anyone at all, but rather chance seedlings, spread by deer, bear, coyotes… No doubt descendants of the old homestead trees, we find these trees in the hedgerows, ditches, old meadows. Often not apples you’d want to take a bite out of, these apples are complex, rich in sugars and tannins, and are hard to beat when it comes to cider making.
Each bottle of cider contains dozens of different apple varieties.
Wild Fermentation
We let wild yeasts, already on the apples, do the work of turning fresh juice into cider. Most ciders you can find are made with commercial yeasts because they’re fast, predictable, and consistent.
Apples already have everything they need to make really good cider. Our job is to guide this process, giving it a little nudge here and there.
By choosing the slower, less predictable path, we trade convenience for character. Long fermentations, no added sulfites, and a cider that truly reflects the apples, the season, and the land which it comes from.
Authentic Natural Ciders
Making our cider is a low-tech, hands-on process. We use traditional methods, with minimal interventions, following the rhythms of the seasons. All in all, it takes at least 8 months between picking and being ready to sell in the bottle.
Once harvested, we let the apples sweat, losing water, concentrating sugars and other flavours. We then press the apples, letting wild yeasts do their thing. Fermentation happens in an unheated space, slowing in the winter, waking up in the spring. This slow and steady pace helps retain and develop deeper flavours. We monitor it carefully, bottling at just the right moment to achieve natural carbonations in the bottle (Pet. Nat. style).
Inspired by what grows around us, we are continually experimenting with new infusions and co-ferments; foraging wild ingredients or using berries or botanicals grown on our farm (or other nearby farms). Some experiments never make it past the cellar door. Many turn into something really special, and those are the ones you’ll find for sale.