Kingston Black Apples
75cl * Vegan * Gluten Free * 5.5% ABV * Somerset, England
The force behind the impossibly gorgeous Babylonstoren estate and boutique hotel, Karen Roos, former editor of Elle Decoration South Africa, and her billionaire and tech magnate husband, Koos Bekker, have made Somerset’s idyllic 800-acre Hadspen House their UK base. And while Babylonstoren is all about wine, The Newt is all about cider— or “cyder”, spelt with a ‘y’ to preserve the old West Country tradition, originating from a time when it was used to indicate superior strength and quality. Records show that the secondary fermentation process being used at this time - in glass bottles, sealed with corks - came well before French monk Dom Pierre Pérignon supposedly invented Champagne!
Locally harvested Kingston Black apples from the Dorset village of Melpash are freshly pressed in The Newt's cyder cellar in late October. The juice is then cold fermented and matured in our cellar for 6 months until the cyder is just off dry, before bottling. This year's vintage is lighter in colour, with aromas of quince, candy and lemon. A perfect balance of acidity, light tannin and dryness makes it the perfect balance cleanser to be enjoyed with any meal or on its own. Drink within 5 years.