Background:
On our last day before heading back to Brisbane, we toured some wineries. While doing so, I got into a conversation with a winery staff member about being a cider fan, first and foremost, and that I even blog about it. Though I protested, he offered me a bottle of The Hills Cider to try, free of charge.
This is the first and only time I have ever gotten anything free and I’d like to think it didn’t cloud my judgement when doing this review.
Kind: The Hills Cider – Apple
Size: 330mL
Strength: 5%
Product description: Made from 100% Fresh Adelaide Hills Apples, fruit driven style, filtered bright straw colour, great acid backbone, vanilla, lime/sherbet characters shine through the pallet that actually tastes like real apples! Well balanced, complex, clean, lightly carbonated cider that finishes dry and fresh making you want more…
Orgle’s thoughts:
“Tasty, semi-dry cider. You agree?”
My thoughts:
I did agree. It hits you with apple flavour right off the bat. It’s not overpoweringly carbonated, but quite fizzy right out of the bottle. It smells nice and tastes fresh. There’s no “in your face” flavours – it’s really likeable. I would recommend it be consumed quite cold – a crisp summer cider.
This is what people should be drinking instead of Strongbow. You get a light sweetness and carbonation but with a better backstory, knowing where it is coming from.
Note to self:
It was nice to be able to hear some of the origins of the cider from the guy who gave me this bottle. I believe friends of his are owners of the company. Maybe that skewed the tasting, but that connection to the product is not something you get from the mass produced ciders made out of apple concentrate, sugar, and colouring.
Where to buy:
Sigh. Australia.
I wonder if cider companies could get on board with the wine distributors that get their products here…
The West Cider 