Adam and Dani make Cider, Perry and a bit of apple juice in a small shed  nestled in the side of the Teme Valley a mile upstream from Knighton, Powys. The fruit is all hand harvested, from orchards around the Wye Valley, their current main source is between Hay on Wye and Bredwardine, Herefordshire. Trees are around 60-80 years old and is blessed with a good variety of apples The orchard is in good condition having spent the last 20 years managed organically for Dunkertons. They have their own orchard, which is very young, so until 2019 the apples just got put into blends - this year they managed to bottle a very small amount of single orchard cider which at some point will get a very limited release. 

In terms of process - once the fruit is milled they let the pommace stand to macerate in open top containers for 24-48 hours before pressing, then the wild yeasts do the fermenting. They rack the cider off its lees throughout the winter months, slowing the fermentation down enough so that when it is bottled it ferments a little to condition the cider but stops leaving sugars present. No additions fining or filtering and if they are disgorged, it’s done by hand.

We have long been fans of their delicious draft ciders and have finally managed to grab a few 5l bibs. Made from a blend of their ciders that would otherwise go into bottle but left to go dryer. Lovely texture, crunchy fruit, this is just so drinkable and exceptional value.

Breinton Magic 2023, in their main style of Medium Dry Sparkling ciders and a great addition. The 2023 vintage was less sunny than previous years, however this cider was mostly made from earlier season fruit that benefitted from the bit of sunshine we had in late summer. Varieties: Nehou, Somerset Redstreak, Kingston Black, White Beech, Skyrmes Kernel. Conditioned in bottle, Disgorged to remove sediment. Fruity, balanced and very vibrant with a lovely texture, magic indeed!

All fruit from the Hereford Cider Museum orchards in Breinton Parish.

A blend of Brandy, Red Pear, Hendre Huffcap and Thorn Perry Pears from the Court of Noke near Pembridge, North Herefordshire. They fermented the juice in an oak cask previously used for white wine then blended in 15% cider apple juice before bottling to give the Perry a fuller more rounded taste in a year with less concentration of flavour in the fruit. It was a success and we can present a lovely, full flavoured balanced ‘Perry’. The fleshyness of the pear comes through nicely. Lifted by the acidity of the apple. Medium Dry, Sparkling, Disgorged to remove sediment.

A blend of Quince, Red Pear and Kingston Black from Staunton on Arrow, North Herefordshire. A refreshing and uplifting blend of three orchard fruits. Conditioned in the bottle with a light sediment. Nicely balanced. Off-Dry

It was a particularly great year for quince and the two trees they normally harvest at Park Farm were fruiting well. They put a notice in the window of Dani's restaurant asking locals for more quince and managed to collect about 150kg. After a few weeks sunbathing these were milled, macerated and then pressed with Kingston Black bittersharp cider apples also from Park Farm and an unknown Crimson Coloured Bittersweet cider apple from the orchards at Breinton where the Bulmer family brought over many varieties from France to experiment with.  The result tastes fun. It’s sparkling and off dry.