Banda Cider of the Arve #2 2024

A blend of Yarlington Mill, Kingston Black & Frequin Rouge

A cuvee more reminiscent of our previous iterations of Cider of the Arve, this is the zippy, flavourful sister of our previous vintages. Bright and incredibly mineral, with tannins that dance on the tongue alongside a moderate amount of effervescence. The vibrancy in colour is matched with the palate, shaping this as the perfect aperitif and drink to enjoy over a long lunch.

We began pressing this cider on the 1st of June. It started as a blend of late harvested Yarlington Mill picked on the 28th of May, blended with Kingston Black picked in April and cured on wire racks for six weeks at an ambient temperature. The last component of fruit was the Frequin Rouge, picked on the winter solstice. At this point in time the trees were completely bare and still holding onto their fruit, a delight to harvest in the piercing low sun against a deep blue sky. All components of these ferments were milled and macerated for 24-48 hours before slowly being pressed throughout the evening.

Cider of the Arve #2 was fermented in old barrels, stainless steel and fibreglass vats. This ferment kicked off gently and remained at a moderate pace from the end of June until bottling on the 29th of August. We were impressed to see that this ferment did not become dormant during the depths of winter, despite remaining outside for its entirety! It is interesting to observe how this healthy rate of fermentation alongside the Frequin Rouge has driven intense mineral flavours with an edge of saltiness and an incredibly refreshing fizz. A lovely amount of richness was retained due to being made using the rural method. Due to the secondary fermentation in bottle, you’ll notice a healthy amount of lees in each bottle. These do tremendous work in building complexity into our ciders and protecting them from oxidation. These lees can be left at the bottom of the bottle or gently incorporated before opening.  – Banda