Pilton Cider, Pilton, Somerset, England, 2022

Producer Profile

Based in the cider heartland of Somerset, where sun-dappled orchards have been producing high-quality cider for generations,

Pilton makes an exciting range of whole juice ciders using the artisan method of ‘keeving’. The process uses only cider apples; no water, no sugar, just patience and develop sublime creations that have as much in common with the winemaking process as anything focusing on the use of wild yeasts, cold cellars and bottle fermentation. Pilton was started in 2010 by Martin Berkely and uses apples from high-quality, Somerset orchards, planted in the 60s and 70s, to produce this most traditional and evocative of local beverages.

Viticulture

Fruit is from traditional cider orchards, planted in the 1960s and 1970s for commercial production but now only retained for biodiversity & landscape. The low nutrients produce low yields with small fruits and intense flavours. Varieties are Somerset origin, bittersweet, low in acidity with medium tannin.

Winemaking

The keeving method utilises low nutrients for an incomplete fermentation, thus retaining natural fruity apple sweetness. Long slow cool fermentation promotes complexity from a succession of indigenous yeasts.

Oak Ageing

No oak ageing

Tasting Note

Pilton's original keeved, naturally medium in sweetness cider, produced since 2010. Juicy, fruit-forward aroma with candy, toffee apple and a generous helping of red berries. Silky smooth texture, carried by the keeved cider’s sweetness, whilst the tannins pair with a gentle bitterness for a rounded finish.

Food Matching

Light and refreshing, it is best served chilled, as an aperitif or with food such as charcuterie.