Ramborn Single Malt Whisky Barrel Aged 2016

After the Ramborn Vintage Luxembourg Perry 2017, I’m going to sample cider that was made with Luxembourgish apples pressed in 2016, blended and subsequently aged in a single malt whisky barrel.Company: Ramborn Cider Co.
Place of Origin: Born, Luxembourg
Apples: Luxembourgish apple varieties
ABV: 9.4%
Package type: 750ml clear glass bottle with cork
Recommended type of glass: wine glass or snifter

Appearance: pours a clear pale amber/golden with no head. No carbonation. Body is low to medium.

Aroma/Nose: the scent is strong and aromatic with notes of wood, vanilla, coconut, smokiness, alcohol and a hint of pineapple and mirabelle plums.

Taste: it starts dry with a moderate acidity of lemon. Further notes mirabelle plum, burnt caramel, a touch of bitterness, smokiness, vanilla. Finishes dry with a touch of lemon, caramel, wood and hint of ripe juicy apricots.

Overall: I know what you’re thinking. Cider aged in whisky barrel must taste brilliant.  Well, not exactly. You can clearly taste the impact of ageing in the barrel as you get notes of wood, vanilla, smokiness, pineapple and coconut. But only fruity notes of mirabelle plum and ripe juicy apricots reveal that it was actually cider aged in that single malt whisky barrel. It’s very rich in terms of flavours and interestingly they come and go. In that sense, it is a quality product. But I found it a bit overdone. The influence of barrel ageing on aroma and taste is too strong and masks the taste of the fruit. I think it’s good. Many will find it fantastic though. 4/6

Availability: in Luxembourg from Ramborn’s farm.

Price: Single Malt Whisky Barrel Aged 2016 Harvest was provided by Ramborn Cider Co.

Mr. Plūme Ābolu Sidrs Saldais 2016

I’m sure that most of you have already noticed by now that bottles from the Latvian cider maker Mr. Plūme have one of the most eye-catching and intriguing labels out there. Since Māris is an artist, it was obvious that the label of his product has to be artistic as well. A friend of Māris, Aleksandrs Bētiņš who designed the labels found inspiration in works of the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte who often used the image of the apple in his paintings. As a side note, Magritte’s apples inspired also Paul McCartney who used the green apple as the logo of the Beatles’ record label Apple Corps.

Today I give you the Ābolu Sidrs Saldais 2016, a sweet cider from Mr. Plūme.
Company: Mr. Plūme sidra darītava
Place of Origin: Jumpravas pagasts, Lielvārdes novads, Latvia
Apples a blend of local apple varieties
Sweetness as per label: sweet
ABV: 6.5%
Package type: 750ml clear glass with natural cork
Recommended type of glass: wine glass or snifter

Appearance: pours a clear pale golden with no head. No visible carbonation. Body is medium.

Aroma/Nose: the aroma is intense and fruity with notes of quince, lychee, yellow apples and light caramel.

Taste: it starts medium sweet with low to medium acidity of lemon. On the mid-palate note of quince, fresh yellow apples, a smoky note with light caramel. It finishes with a lingering note of quince and baked apples with a very light astringent note and a touch of lemon candy.

Overall: sweet yet refreshing. Saldais is a sweet but not overly sweet apple wine with a good level of acidity balancing out the sweetness. So even those who prefer their cider on the drier side will not complain. The fruity flavours smoothly move from one to another and offer a very pleasant journey in the glass. More to that, the aromas and the finish have a good intensity and length. Māris, if you had entered the CiderWorld 2018 competition with this cider, you would have most probably received an award. But since you haven’t, you’ll get 5 out of 6 points from me. A really good cider that will satisfy every palate.

Availability: available from Mr. Plūme. At farmers markets and many other places in Latvia. Possibly also from Siidrimaja in Tallinn, at Sarkozy in Vilnius, Holm Cider in Copenhagen and MostBirnHaus in Austria.

Price: Ābolu Sidrs Saldais 2016 was a sample provided by Māris from Mr. Plūme.

Mr. Plūme Ābolu Sidrs Sausais 2016

You’d never guess but Berlin is the place where Māris Plūme’s passion for cider was born. Māris is actually a musician, who was looking in Berlin for his own path. And, he found it. To a party organised by a Latvian friend living in Berlin, someone brought a homemade cider created from Latvian apples. Māris tried it and thought this cider tasted great. In the same moment, he realised that he could also make cider from Latvian apples. But first, he had to learn how to make one. So after he completed a short internship with Domaine Dupont and at a most-producing family in Mostviertel,  GenussBauernhof Distelberger in Austria, he was ready to start his own business in Latvia, Mr. Plūme.Company: Mr. Plūme sidra darītava
Place of Origin: Jumpravas pagasts, Lielvārdes novads, Latvia
Apples a blend of wild crab apples with local apple varieties
Sweetness as per label: dry
ABV: 6.5%
Package type: 750ml clear glass with natural cork
Recommended type of glass: wine glass or snifter

Appearance: pours a clear pale golden with no head. No visible carbonation. Body is low to medium.

Aroma/Nose: the aroma is fruity and acidic with notes of overripe apples, yellow apples, distant green apples, light vinous, light incense, honeydew and quince.

Taste: it begins dry with some residual sweetness and a medium acidity of lemon. Yellow apples, a pleasant lingering citrusy taste of both, lemon juice and flesh, a light astringent taste and honeydew on the mid-palate. The finish is dry and citrusy of lemon and lightly chalky with a note of yellow and overripe apples.

Overall: I love the label, but the bottle and cork aren’t really inviting (sorry, Māris). But when you decide to explore the bottle content you’ll not regret it. Ābolu Sidrs Sausais from Mr. Plūme is a very well structured, clear tasting and pleasant apple forward apple wine with light tannin and lingering fruity notes. Actually, I think it may easily compete with the best apple wines from the most renowned cider makers. It will pair well with fish and poultry. But you can drink it alone, e.g. I watched the telly and sipped it the whole evening. I adored Ābolu Sidrs Sausais! Hopefully, ciders from Mr. Plūme will be soon available in my area. 4.5/6 

Availability: available from Mr. Plūme. At farmers markets and many other places in Latvia. Possibly also from Siidrimaja in Estonia, Holm Cider in Copenhagen and MostBirnHaus in Austria.

Price: Ābolu Sidrs Sausais 2016 was a sample provided by Māris from Mr. Plūme.

Gutshof Kraatz Cydonia 2016

The word ‘Cydonia’ has at least two meanings. It can be a region on Mars or a fruit if referring to Cydonia oblonga M., better known as quince. For his quince wine, Florian from Gutshof Kraatz uses only fruits from local orchards in the North of Uckermark. To be honest, I haven’t had a quince wine before. But I have very pleasant memories with quince liquor made by my friend’s dad. I remember the fruity, lightly acidic taste breaking down the sweetness and a lovely astringent taste to it. Hopefully, the Cydonia crafted by Florian will bring back these memories.Company: Gutshof Kraatz
Place of Origin: Nordwestuckermark-Kraatz, Germany
Fruits: made from quinces coming from local orchards
ABV: 6.5%
Package type: 750ml clear glass wine bottle with screw cap
Recommended type of glass: white wine glass

Appearance: pours a beautiful, crystal deep clear pale straw with no head. No visible carbonation. Body is low.

Aroma/Nose: the nose is intense, rich and fruity with notes of mirabelle plum, peach, unripe and ripe quince, ripe pumpkin and ripe juicy cantaloupe.

Taste: the initial taste is only slightly sweet with a pleasant medium lemon-like acidity. Then it gets more fruity with notes of ripe and unripe quince, the mirabelle plum, pumpkin, ripe cantaloupe and a light astringent taste. It finishes dry with lingering fruity notes of mirabelle plum, quince, cantaloupe, a lightly chalky taste and a note of lemon drops with a distant herbal note.

Overall: Cydonia is another great wine from Florian of Gutshof Kraatz, only this time it’s made from other fruits than apples, quinces. Interestingly, the Cydonia has nothing in common with the liquor from my memories as it is sophisticated, very rich with a nice balance of sweetness and acidity, with extremely long lingering wonderfully captured fruity notes, which are typical for wines made by Florian as I’ve noticed. Cydonia is a light and refreshing wine, which can be consumed alone or with food. A wine to fall in love with. 5/6

Availability: from their online shop, through Q Regio. In Frankfurt from Apfelweinkontor and Apfelweinhandlung. In Berlin from Schaufenster Uckermark located in the Markthalle Neun. In Poland through Vinoteka in Szczecin.

Price: Florian contacted me and asked if I’d like to try their Apfelwein.

Gutshof Kraatz Wilde Kerle 2016

Wilde Kerle, meaning Wild Buddies or Wild Things (if referring to Maurice Sendak’s book ‘Where the Wild Things Are’) in German, is an Apfelwein from Gutshof Kraatz made entirely from German wild apple varieties, rich in tannins adding astringency and/or bitterness and complexity to Apfelwein or cider. It is not an easy task for Florian from Gutshof Kraatz to find wild apples. Once he finds an apple tree growing somewhere in the wild he marks the tree location and has to return to the spot at an optimal harvest date. Sometimes Florian has to even tear through bushes to collect wild apples for the Wilde Kerle. Apart from that, apple trees growing in the wild account for the relatively small size of the fruits and low fruit yields compared to the regular orchards. Bear that in mind next time you open a bottle of Wild Kerle from Gutshof Kraatz.Company: Gutshof Kraatz
Place of Origin: Nordwestuckermark-Kraatz, Germany
Apples: made from wild apple varieties
Sweetness as per label: dry
ABV: 8%
Package type: 750ml clear glass wine bottle with screw cap
Recommended type of glass: white wine glass

Appearance: pours a beautiful, crystal deep clear golden with no head. No carbonation. Body is low.

Aroma/Nose: the nose exhibits notes of white wine, red overripe apples, yellow apples, fresh sweet juicy apples, baked apples with pear. The aroma is rounded up by underlying notes of caramel and vanilla.

Taste: it starts dry with a minor residual sweetness and medium lemon-like acidity with a light tartness. The mid-palate has a low astringent taste, which smoothly moves to a smoky note, overripe apples, baked apples with vanilla and a vinous note. Wilde Kerle leaves a lovely extremely long lingering aftertaste of caramel, light apple seed-like bitterness and lightly burnt caramel-like bitterness.

Overall: Florian’s great efforts to obtain wild apples definitely paid off. Wilde Kerle tastes simply glorious! Already the first sip gave the wow effect. Not to mention oohing and aahing after every other sip. Wilde Kerle is not-entirely dry with low residual sweetness, full-bodied with perfectly balanced multiple types of apple flavours, which move smoothly from one to another. Also, its lovely lingering aftertaste seems to never end. Hence, this Apfelwein is just perfect for slowly sipping. Would pair well with any type of cheese. Taken together, Wilde Kerle is an excellent Apfelwein that will please every (even picky) palate. I will surely get more of this one. 5.5/6

Availability: from their online shop, CiderWorld Shop (a new name for Apfelwein International). In Frankfurt from Apfelweinkontor and Apfelweinhandlung. In Berlin from Schaufenster Uckermark located in Markthalle Neun. In Poland through Vinoteka in Szczecin.

Price: Florian contacted me and asked if I’d like to try their Apfelwein.

De vergeten Appel ‘t Schoapke 2016

Before establishing De vergeten Appel Johan, who is the cider maker and owner of the cidery, has lived in Australia. I wonder if this is where and when he was bitten by the cider bug. Next cider from De vergeten Appel’s line-up is  ‘t Schoapke, which was made from apples coming from orchards in Susteren and Schijndel.Company: De Vergeten Appel
Place of Origin: Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands
Apples: made from apples coming from Susteren and Schijndel.
ABV: 6%
Package type: 375ml green champagne bottle with crown cork
Recommended type of glass: flute or wine glass

Appearance: pours a cloudy pale straw with green hues and a huge white fizzy head that very slowly dissipates. High carbonation and likely natural. Body is low. Sediment in the bottle.

Aroma/Nose: the aroma is very refreshing and slightly vinous with notes of green and yellow apples, some oak and lemon.

Taste: my first sip is dry, but not bone dry, moderately acidic and tart with notes of lemon. However, the level of acidity seems to increase with time. On the mid-palate yellow apples, some oak and white wine notes. The aftertaste is dry with a lemon touch and green notes. No tannins detectable.

Overall: after a really inviting and refreshing nose you’d wish to find the same intensity also in the palate. But in ‘t Schoapke all flavours seem to be present only in the first sip. They don’t really linger on. I must say that ‘t Schoapke lacks depth and certain structure. It’s drinkable, refreshing and I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy drinking it. But Johan has  already created better ciders than this one. 3.5/6

Availability: locally in Rotterdam at Fenix Food Factory, in Amsterdam from Apples en Perren . Online in the Netherlands from Sans Blah Blah.

Price: ‘t Schoapke was kindly provided to me by Johan from De vergeten Appel for testing.