Floribunda Apfel-Cider

Floribunda is a small family business from Salorno, South Tyrol, Italy made up by Franz Egger and his daughter Magdalena. The Egger family has been growing apples since the 1980’s, and making cider since 2002 when their first cider made from Gravensteiner hit the shelves. Through the years the Eggers have been experimenting with various apple varieties, fruits and introducing new ciders. In 2005 they switched to the unfiltered and sulphite-free manufacturing.

Today I’m reviewing their Apfel-Cider, which is made from three organic apple varieties Topaz, Gold Rush and Pilot. Apfel-Cider received 90 points in the category of sparkling cider at the CiderWorld Awards 2018 in Frankfurt.Company: Floribunda
Place of Origin: Salurn/Salorno, South Tyrol, Italy
Apples: a blend of Pilot, Gold Rush and Topaz
ABV: 6%
Package type: 750 ml clear glass bottle with crown cap
Recommended type of glass:  flute or chalice glass

Note: no sulphites, organic

Appearance: pours a cloudy straw yellow with a huge quickly dissipating white head. High and natural carbonation. Body is low to medium.

Aroma/Nose: the aroma is not very strong but extremely rich with notes of yellow apples, apple stems, fresh green leaves. Also, lightly floral with notes of gooseberries, fresh white grapes and skins, and distant fresh quince. That’s not all, a note of caramel appears once the Apfel-Cider warms up a little.

Taste: my first taste is dry with a touch of sweetness with a low to medium acidity of lemon. Then it gets a little bit watery with fruity and floral notes incl. rose, lychee, light banana, passionfruit, green apples. The finish is dry with a distant green grassy note, light astringency, a hint of bitterness with gooseberries,  fresh green apples and light pear. Also, a very distant sauerkraut and butter note.

Overall: I’m speechless. The more I’m drinking Floribunda’s Apfel-Cider the more the taste comes through and more unique aromas and flavours I get to discover. The flavours might be not strong, but they are clearly there and transform all the time into completely new flavours that weren’t there just a minute ago. Really amazing. Set of flavours on both, the nose and the palate are really special. Also, I like the almost creamy texture of this cider. A really pleasant and light drop. Nevertheless, I still have a few critical notes. First of all, the aroma could be stronger and despite many layers of delicious flavours, there are a few notes that might be considered as disturbing. In addition, the aromas on the palate could be a little more lingering as the taste disappears a bit too fast. In summary, Floribunda’s Apfel-Cider is a light and aromatic cider for connaisseurs, for those who take time and deeply explore what they drink. I loved it but it’s not for everyone. Will you take up the challenge? 4.5/6

Availability: directly from Floribunda. In Spain from Aramburu Cultura Gastronómica.

Price: Franz kindly passed me a bottle at CiderWorld 2018 in Frankfurt