What is Cider?
Apfelwein, Most, Cider, Cidre, Sidra. They are all regional aspects of the same thing: a refreshing alcoholic drink made by fermenting apple juice. Learn more…
We manage a small orchard that was neglected for many years. We care for the old trees, while rejuvenating the orchard over time. Such spaces are islands of wildlife diversity, which we try to encourage in whatever way we can. An interest in heirloom apples and pears, and cider varieties, drives other aspects of our work, whether bringing in new varieties, or trying to conserve rare local types. Learn more…
Our Cider
Our cider is made in small batches, reflecting the hand-crafted nature of our products. As with any natural product the harvest can be a little different every year, as can the subtle properties of the apples from any given tree. As a result, we place an emphasis on this annual character by stating the vintage of every cider we make. They are generally fermented to dry, as we try to let nature takes its course, with minimal intervention. Learn more…
It all started in 2012, when we bought the harvest rights for about eight apple trees near the graveyard in Kleineicholzheim, an d thought “why not make cider”? Since the we have acquired old orchards and adopted large old pear trees in the surrounding countryside, so what started as a hobby more or less went out of control. Now we balance conservation of old orchards with trying to make the best cider and perries we can, representative of the trees and place. Learn more..
News
Occasional blog posts and news
Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung – March 2022
On Thursday, 17th of March, Peter Lahr published an article about us in the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, our regional newspaper. A rather fitting date to be writing about an Irishman! For the sake of friends, relatives and those lovely customers who don’t speak German, here is a translation of Peter’s article. On the search for the perfect cider flavour. Old and new meet directly in Ines and Barry Masterson’s work. On the one hand, it’s impossible to miss. After all, their lovingly renovated half-timbered house from 1777 is right next to the modern new Schefflenz town hall building with its monochrome Monopoly House silhouette. On the other hand, it is unmissable, because the ciders and perrys (pear wines) that the two have […]
#HYPE 2020 Released
In January this year, Dick Withecombe (@FormerCiderBuzz) posted a link to Eleanor Leger’s (of Eden Cidery fame) excellent Cidernomics site where the welcome message struck a chord. In this, Eleanor writes about how important hype is for the underdog cidermakers, and small producers in general. She wrote “… without hype, consumers won’t learn about the underdogs – the small entrepreneurs who are trying to bring high quality, ‘real’ food back to the market. And unless consumers start purchasing from these underdogs, they won’t be able to overcome the obstacles that the modern food system poses for them”. In our small COVID-induced WhatsApp group of cidermakers and a bit on Twitter, we discussed this a little, and I came to the […]