Banda 2023 Sparkling Apple Wine #3

REGION: Lutruwita, TAS
SIZE: 750ml / ABV: 8.5%

A complex and playful style of cider made with grape skins, heritage and cider apples from two beautiful sites in southern Tasmania. Apples grown by Our Mates Farm in Geeveston and grapes grown by R.D’meure in Flowerpot. Apples: bulmers norman, yarlington mill, geeveston fanny, sturmer pippin, cox’s orange pippin, browns apple, red delicious, bramley, crofton, royal gala).

This cider is made from two distinct ferments. One ferment started in April with heritage apples and the addition of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. The other ferment started in June, with the addition of late ripening fruit; sturmer pippin, frequin rouge & cabernet franc.

Blended in the winter and bottled at the beginning of August 2023. We were happy to stretch this ferment out over a long period of time, creating a lot of depth and complexity. Other sparkling apple wines we have made have fermented quickly over a month and gone to bottle due to the amount of yeast activity, creating a light and easy drinking style of cider. This drink imparts those characters with the addition of far more flavour thanks to a slower ferment. The cider is zippy, tight and fresh upon opening, and overtime it displays the complexity of the grapes and apples, revealing itself to be a beautiful reflection of fermentation with a true amber hue. 

Banda ciders are made using traditional methods and organic cider fruit in lutruwita/ southern Tasmania. We source our cider & heritage apples from Our Mates Farm in Geeveston & have used grape skins from R.D’meure in Flowerpot. We have recently planted a cider orchard in Oyster Cove with our friends from Halo Hill. We plan to share the orchard with their cattle, so the trees are generously spaced and are being trained to grow tall which will allow for the cows to graze below.