Durban - Fancy a blueberry cider? Well, Everson Cider is going to introduce its latest product at CraftFest. And the response in the Cape has been huge.
Owner William Everson, who released the range a couple of months ago, describes it as very flavoursome with real fruit.
“We use frozen blueberry pulp and blend it with our apple cider. Blueberries do well in the valley and are in season in November/December, but we pulp and freeze in drums. The cider has a wonderful blueish-red colour, slightly darker than our pomegranate cider,” he says.
And he’s convinced KwaZulu-Natal will enjoy it.
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The former garagiste wine-maker settled in the Elgin valley about nine years ago and started using the local fruit apples to create craft ciders.
His cider range now includes the original apple cider and his Perry - that’s a pear cider. “You can’t really call it cider if it’s not made with apples,” he says.
Then there’s the Cloudy, a blend of apple cider and cloudy apple juice for a lower alcohol content of 4.5%, and the Cranberry.
“We also do a mulled cider, much like mulled wine, which is wonderful for Cape winters,” he says. “We use five different spices, so it produces a beautiful spice blend and goes wonderfully with dessert.”
Everson studied wine making, but ended up in the family transport business.
“But I always had a passion for wine making and would make small amounts of wine as a home industry. I still do make wine, but when we moved here, there was this abundance of apples and pears.
“And you can make cider all year round, whereas grapes come once a year.”
He uses the juice from a variety of apples - golden delicious, granny smiths, royal galas, pink ladies and star kings. “South Africa doesn’t have real cider apples, which are tart and acidic and have got as much tannin in them as red grapes. So our ciders tend to be off-dry and the fruit blends have a natural sweetness.”
“But the South African palate goes more for the sweeter side.”
And they’re suitable for cocktails. “People use the pomegranate cider with gin and pomegranate seeds to make a delicious cocktail,” he says.
While the blueberry ciders are still only available on tap, the rest of the range is bottled and available at most Tops stores and some liquor outlets.
Everson brought his range of ciders to the first CraftFest in June last year and really enjoyed the day.
“CraftFest was very special. It gave us far more personal connections with customers. It was not just a drinking spree where you were throwing alcohol down your throat.
“People could really engage with you. It had both a market and a festival feel.”
On the beer side, also up from the Cape is the Darling Brewery with its Rooibok, a golden lager, Slow Beer, Blood Serpent and Sun Gazer. The Gypsy Mask, a rustic brown ale, and Black Mist are also popular.
Local breweries at the show include Clock Work, newcomers the Nguni Brewery, the Standeaven Brewery, Bru Works and the Durban Brewing Company.
CraftFest, brought to you by The Independent on Saturday and the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market, is on August 9 at the Shongweni site from 10am to 4pm. Tickets are R100 from Quicket or R120 at the gate on the day.
See our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CraftFestIOS