Spring is a marvellous time of year. Winter is behind us, the days are getting longer, lighter and, hopefully, warmer and nature is bursting into life. There is even the real possibility of some al fresco drinking! This change of season heralds the opportunity to try some new springtime sips! Here are our cider recommendations for your vernal celebrations!
The Forgotten English Champagne
Spring is all about new beginnings so it is incredibly timely that we have just unveiled our newest addition to the Sandford Orchards range, a Limited Edition Perry. It has been a revelation for us and our customers. Firstly, because not many people seem to know what perry is and secondly, because we really weren’t expecting to have enough pears to make a perry for some time yet.
Perry is an alcoholic drink made from fermented pears in much the same way that we make cider from apples but, traditionally, it is naturally sweeter. Napoleon famously dubbed it the ‘English Champagne‘ but, despite being widely enjoyed in the past, it is fairly rare to come across an English perry now. That’s mostly because pears are much more tricky to manage than apples or grapes. Barny planted a small perry orchard on a friend’s farm 15 years ago and forgot about it. The saying goes ‘you plant pears for the heirs’! So he was surprised to hear from his friend last autumn that the orchard was brimming with fruit.
New Perry
Barny added his pears to those grown in an orchard that we manage for our friends at the sublime Deer Park country house to create a wonderfully rich and delicious perry. Crafted from Blakeney Red, Green Horse, Brandy and Gin pears, it is delicate and floral, crisp, fragrant and fresh with ripe pear, citrus acidity and a subtle tropical nose. It is lighter and more aromatic than our session ciders and much more akin to our fine cider Katjas. At 7.5% ABV, it’s not designed to be glugged by the pint but instead makes a great British alternative to a glass of sparkling wine! Enjoy it with roasted chicken, creamy pasta, grilled fish or simply on its own. If the last time you tried a perry was when Babycham was in fashion, it is time to think again! Be quick and get yourself a bottle of our limited edition perry to raise a glass to the sun’s appearance. We don’t think you will be disappointed.
Katja Rosé the TV Superstar
Our highly acclaimed Katja Rosé sits alongside our new perry in our fine cider category and is another drink perfect for toasting spring’s arrival. Katja Rosé is a sumptuous sparkling skin-contact rosé cider, produced using the Martinotti method. Lovingly crafted in Crediton from locally grown Katja dessert apples, the juice is fermented with Rondo grapes from a nearby vineyard bestowing wine notes and an unmistakable rosé finish. It is a fresh and fruity cider which tastes of sun ripened cherries and peaches, with hints of apple blossom and candyfloss, balanced with tannins from the wineskins. It is the perfect all-British alternative to a pink bubbly and it is the TV star of our range. It has appeared on ITV’s Love Your Weekend and Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and wowed the hosts and cleared our shelves each time. At 8% ABV, it is another one for champagne flutes not pint glasses but compared to the alcohol content in wine, it is a much lower alcohol drink for long lunches and afternoons in the sun.
Fruity Little Numbers
If you are looking for a cider that you can drink by the pint then spring is the perfect time to try one of our flavoured ciders. When you hear the term ‘flavoured’ you might think that we mean cider with added synthetic flavourings but that’s not how we work at Sandford Orchards. All our flavoured ciders are created by adding real fruit juices to our fermented apples. Our Raspberry cider for example, is created by adding the juice of raspberries to dial up the sunshine and add a little extra zip to the finish. We do the same with our Blackberry and Cherry ciders, using the juice of locally grown fruits. For Elderflower, we mix in aromatic elderflowers for that unmistakable flavour of spring. For Devon Rosé we add English grown, Pinot Noir and Rondo grape skins to create a subtly sweet cider with a bright fresh finish and a beautiful natural blush colouring. All our fruit ciders are relatively low alcohol (just 3.4% ABV) making them light, refreshing, springtime drinks that are perfect for lunchtime tipples, picnics and BBQs.
Of course, we believe that all our ciders taste great all year round but a new season brings the ideal opportunity to try something different. We’re not suggesting that you give up your Devon Red completely but this could be the perfect excuse to broaden your cider horizons. If you are uncertain about which ones you might like, order yourself a mixed case and get a few friends over to help you judge them. We guarantee that someone will find a new favourite and everyone will enjoy the process.
