Kentish sparkler wins Supreme at British Cider Championships

KentOnline / KMTV

Kent might be known for its vineyards and wine, but it's cider that's making recent headlines.   One local producer has just won a national award and is getting international attention by using winemaking techniques to craft something a little different.   Kristin Hawthorne has been finding out more about the buzz around Kentish cider and the challenges the industry is facing.

Transcript

00:00A local vineyard here in the county has recently won an award, but not for what you might expect.

00:06Instead of wine, it's their cider that's been getting national attention.

00:10But by using their winemaking skills in the craft of cider,

00:13the team at Bididin Vineyards are turning heads across the UK.

00:17At the Royal Bath & West show, Bididin's Strawberry and Mint Cider won Best Fruit Cider,

00:22while their Sparkling One won Supreme Champion.

00:25Apparently this is due to its wow factor that stood out from the very first sip.

00:29Both of them are made with apples that are sourced within 20 miles of the business,

00:33making it a real Kentish cider.

00:35We've always focused on the wines. The wines is a bit, you know, as a family, we're winemakers.

00:40Dad started making cider 40 years ago, Bididin Cider was born, and that's, you know, it's carried on.

00:48So we've always made our cider with a winemaker's approach.

00:51Yeah, I think that, you know, that interpretation of being a winemaker is definitely, you know,

00:55reflecting our ciders. We're working with real fruit. It's not concentrate, it's not water.

01:01We're actively going out, working with local farmers to source the strawberries and the mint

01:05that we, you know, infuse the products with, or, you know, using the champagne style on the sparkling cider,

01:12which is the one that won Supreme Champion.

01:13But the path to making the perfect pint isn't always smooth.

01:17I spoke to another award-winning Kent cider maker who's concerned about the future of the industry.

01:23We're having to find ways to kind of, you know, try and save money in places,

01:28see where we can be more efficient to kind of spend where we need to,

01:31and also to kind of not spend where we don't have to.

01:34It's a tough time. There's climatic challenges, there's market challenges, cost challenges.

01:40It might mean that we have to plant more climate-tolerant varieties in the future.

01:45I've got a lot of peers in the industry, and we speak a lot,

01:48and everybody's struggling with similar problems.

01:52So with all this in mind, it seems that despite the challenges Kent cider production is facing,

01:57such as rising costs and unpredictable weather,

01:59Kent cider producers say they're adapting by blending tradition with innovation

02:03to keep the taps flowing and Kentish cider alive.

02:07Kristen Hawthorne, for ChemTV, Ashford.

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