Charlie Harvey

Review — Gwynt y Ddraig Orchard Gold Cider

Written by Charlie on

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Orchard Gold Welsh Cider, made by Gwynt Y Ddraig, the Welsh Cider Company

Orchard Gold Welsh Cider, by Gwynt Y Ddraig

As regular readers know, I’m a big fan of trying new ciders from unexpected places, recently Scottish cider by Thistly Cross and Barkaiztegi Sagardo Naturala — a lovely Basque Cider. This time it was a Welsh cider — a gift from nor.

Gwynt Y Ddraig have been making cider since 2001, and have clearly learned a bit about their craft. They mix Welsh apples with apples from Hereford and Somerset, which are if you think about it just over the border. A huge plus is that they actually tell you that their cider is vegan. As a vegan, I tend to drink it and hope, so it is lovely to have someone go to the effort of reassuring me that I can drink this stuff without worrying.

The Orchard Gold fizzes rather dramatically when I pop the bottle. Its character has a summery feel to it, perfect for a muggy late July day. Its light-bodied with a thin head, a good tannin kick and a hint of sharp going on in there. The colour is a medium amber. Its refreshing and on the sharp side with an underlying hint of sulphur.

At 4.9% ABV its towards the middle of the cider-strength bracket and, along with its good natured, light refreshing character, I think this would make it a good candidate for a summer picnic. You might even drink more than one bottle.

Now that I know of Gwynt Y Ddraig I shall, of course, have to check out their other ciders. Orchard Gold is a good, solid, refreshing cider. Well worth picking a bottle up.

2012-08-30 by Charlie Harvey


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