Methods / Alcohol | Big Red Wine | Ice Wine | Dry Mead | Canadian Sherry | Oloroso Sherry | Vermouth

Acidity | Elderberry Wine | Line Blend | Sparkling Ciders

Presented by Martin Nygard and Bill Thornton

At AWO Festival 2007 – Kitchener, June 9 2007

Making good quality apple cider is relatively easy and enjoying it is even easier. A number of AWO cider makers have had great success – and so can you!! AWO has only sent 2 ciders in each of the past two years to the Canadian championships. All four (by 4 different cider makers) were the only entries to be awarded medals (all silver or gold). Their techniques are quite similar and we will share these methods with you today.

Our topic will focus on making ciders that meet the AWO class descriptions for ‘SPARKLING CIDER”, which include the following points:

1. apple based sparkling beverage between 5% and 8% alcohol (evidence of alcohol in nose or taste is a fault).
2. colour ranges from neutral to golden but not brown.
3. sparkle controlled and last at least 20 minutes with preference for fine bubbles.
4. may be presented on priming yeast but preference is for sparged bottles. (artificial carbonation is quite acceptable and commonly used)
5. safety requires glass beer bottles with crown cap, or plastic bottles with screw cap, or tins. (also accepted are champagne style bottles with wired down plastic stopper)
6. balance of sugar, acid and taste as expected in champagne or sparkling wine with no oxidation or harshness that is often found in apples. Sweetness optional but must be in balance with the preferred taste having distinct apple character.

Some comments on these criteria:

- it is allowable (often with positive effect) to add other fruit to add flavour and colour to the cider as long as the product is “apple based” and retains some “distinct apple character”.
- starting SG of 1.038 to 1.060 fermented to completion will yield 5%-8% alcohol.
- judges tend to prefer lively apple flavours with off dry to semi-sweet balance and persistent carbonation.

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APPLES

The crucial first step is getting good quality freshly pressed apple juice. Some can pick and press their own apples, however for most of us purchasing from a cider mill is most convenient. Many cider mills will put together a requested blend if the order is large enough.

1. Specify that the juice will be fermented and that no preservatives (or pasteurization) are desired. (we have to give those yeasties a chance for a quick unhindered start)
2. No windfalls or bruised apples should be in the batch. (these give harsh and oxidized flavours and brown tinges)
3. The most successful blends contain later harvested and harder apples (eg Ida Red and Empire), some of which have a tangy bite to them (eg Russett – hard to come by these though). Some desirable earlier apples (eg Courtland) may be used if they have been in cold storage immediately since picking. Soft apples (eg Macintosh) provide sugar but should be avoided or minimized in the blend as they tend to give thin simple flavours.
4. All the apples in the blend should come out of cold storage just prior to pressing so that the juice is cold. Gentle pressing and handling reduces pulp and oxidation. A “Squeeze Box” press with cloth partitions retains most of the pulp and produces fairly clear juice.
5. Customers should pick up their juice within 12 hours of press while it is still cold and take home to settle overnight before racking (no splashing) to primary fermentors.

Members of the St Thomas and London clubs have an exceptionally good supplier in Gredig’s Orchard (519-633-8885) where Tammy Gredig follows all of the above positive practices making about 700L to our specifications at a cost of $0.90 to $1.00 per Litre.

Both of the medal winning AWC ciders were made from her 2005 juice (Courtland, Ida Red, Empire and Mutsu).

BASIC RECIPES

On the following pages we share with you our basic recipes along with specific hints for successful sparkling cider production that have resulted in our award winning ciders – but more importantly – in the making of ciders that we love to consume and that we are proud to share with our family and friends.

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