Sheppy’s Organic Cider at the Nosebag, Oxford
2011-01-23 by Charlie Harvey
Its been a while since I reviewed a cider, but in a burst of ridiculous new year enthusiasm I decided to revive the practice. A recent wander to the Nosebag Café in the centre of Oxford led to my dining there, along with a friend and a copy of The Situationists and the City. It was a cold day so some cider seemed just the thing and that is how I came to try the Sheppy’s Organic.
It says on the unpretentious bottle that Sheppy’s have been cidermaking since 1816. Their foray into organicness seems to have been in keeping with that tradition. It’s a good solid cider, coming in about 7%. It has enough dryness to make you think of muddy Somerset fields whilst feeling lighter than many commercial real ciders (say Westons Organic) let alone a proper scrumpy. And that very lightness could be a danger. Sheppy’s is the sort of cider I can imagine drinking too much of simply because of that well concealed strength.
Sheppy’s have created a cider that is extremely well balanced, perhaps too well balanced. Sometimes the imbalances and idiosyncrasies are what gives a cider its individuality and character. Overall a fantastic cider and definitely one to warm the spirit on a winter’s day.