How Cider Is Made
Cider is a widely favoured beverage, enjoyed by many. Despite its popularity, there are numerous misunderstandings about the cider-making process. Commonly, people assume that cider is brewed like beer; however, in reality, it is crafted through the same artisanal techniques utilised in winemaking. Unlike beer, which is made from grains and involves heating and cooling processes, cider is produced from fresh fruit that is crushed and pressed to extract juice. This juice is then fermented to create cider.
Crafting cider is a process that yields a diverse range of flavours and styles, ranging from sweet to dry, and cloudy to clear, with some varieties even aged in oak. At Witches Falls, we have developed our Eighth Day Cider to be off-dry, with a clear, bright profile that boasts delicate floral notes akin to prosecco and sparkling wine. To achieve this, we ferment our cider in stainless steel to provide a crisp, clean finish, then filter it to arrest the fermentation, allowing for the retention of natural residual sugars.
Our range features two 100% varietal ciders made from locally grown and harvested apples: Granny Smith and Pink Lady. These apple varieties were actually bred here in Australia, with Granny Smith originating in New South Wales and Pink Lady in Western Australia. We source these apples exclusively from the Stanthorpe region.
In our Ginger cider, we incorporate locally sourced fresh market ginger from Stanthorpe, crushing it together with the apples. We use 80 kilograms of fresh ginger per batch, providing the cider with a subtle, spicy kick. As a tribute to our winemaking background, our Rosé cider is infused with a delicate rationing of shiraz giving it a beautiful blush colour while adding depth and complexity. Both our Ginger and Rosé Ciders have a Pink Lady Apple base.
We handcraft all of our cider in small batches of 1000L right here at our Tamborine Mountain winery. This small-batch process ensures every single batch is given exceptional attention and hands-on care, resulting in unique ciders with slight nuances between each batch.
Our Eighth Day Hard Apple Ciders bear the Trust Mark ensuring they are created from 100% Australian fruit. By selecting ciders that feature this trust mark, you can be confident that the fruit used meets Australia's rigorous food safety standards.
We take great care to maintain the quality of our cider, which is why we bottle it all in-house using our small bottling line that fills only four bottles at a time. Our attention to detail extends to every single bottle, which is meticulously packed to showcase the level of love and care that goes into the entire process.Although our cider is enjoyable on its own, it pairs well with an array of delectable dishes. If you're new to food pairings, here are some of our recommendations.
Our Ginger cider pairs excellently with Thai or South-East Asian cuisine. Our Granny Smith cider complements sticky pork belly beautifully, while our Rosé cider is a perfect match for berry desserts like panna cotta with frutti de Bosco. For a delicious combination, we recommend pairing our Pink Lady cider with oysters and mignonette.
