Late August and September is a magical time of year with it’s cooler mornings but warm afternoons and that special golden light that glows as summer turns to fall. And the perfect drink to enjoy is cider. Like craft beer, cider has seen huge growth in new cider houses and styles.
Wards Cider located in south Kelowna is a perfect example of a cider house that makes a variety of quality ciders. They’ve been growing apples at their family-owned orchard since 1922.
Growing a variety of classic European cider apples is at the core of Wards five-generation success. Cider apples have a high acidity level allowing longer hang time, which means plenty of natural sugars to turn into alcohol and to develop complex flavours. And the acidity balances the sweetness of the fruit and leads to a bright crisp finish.
I recently explored the variety and tasty quality of their brews.
Wards Premium Cider in 650 mL bottles: All have won gold or silver medals at the 2019 World Cider Championships!
Wards Dry Hopped Cider ($8.95). Made from a blend of Belle de Boskoop, Bulmer’s Norman, and Bramley cider apples. The innovation is adding dry hops to add a touch of floral hoppiness, citrus and bitterness. Very crisp, with apple flavours and a dry finish. One of my favourites.
Wards Mimosa Cider. Zesty Orange Pippin and tart Bramley cider apples are co-fermented with aromatic white grapes. Wards is also the site of The View Winery so a cider that is combined with a wine is an obvious pairing. Green apples and an orange peel character with an off-dry finish. I enjoyed it, which was a surprise!
Wards Sangria Cider ($8.95). Looks like a rosé, it’s a combo of Bramley apples and red wine to make a medium dry tutti-fruity tropical punch with apple and red berry character. I’m not a fan of traditional sangrias and this was the only cider out of seven that wasn’t to my taste.
Wards Picker’s Hut Cider ($6.95). A salute to the pickers who migrate to the Okanagan to pick the fruit that goes into the ciders. It glows with a beautiful golden colour, like the late summer sunshine. I liked the apple and apple pie spice aroma, the apple and citrus flavour with a touch of bitterness to balance the fruit. Very good!
Cider in 500 mL cans: Very affordable and convenient to pack for a picnic, a trip to the beach, or a pool party.
Ward’s Hard Apple Cider ($11.95 six-pack). Produced from Bramley and Belle de Boskoop apples, this is a very natural tasting cider. It reveals a modest aroma of apples and pie spices with a ripe apple taste and a medium dry finish. Very tasty! Enjoy with ribs or pulled pork.
Wards Ginger Apple Cider ($11.95 six-pack). I didn’t think I would like this but I loved it! There’s a gentle ginger bouquet and a tart “zippy” gingery-apple flavour with a clean fruity dry finish. I expected something artificial tasting, but this was a natural flavourful cider! Pair with Asian cuisine!
Wards Cherry Apple Cider ($11.95 six-pack). Again, I didn’t expect much from this cider but I was blown away by the beautiful copper colour, the soft bouquet of Montmorency cherries, and the slightly tart but rich ripe fruit. Yum! Great to sip in the sunshine or serve along with duck.
You can purchase these ciders at the historic Wards Cider store, which is part of the View Winery at 2287 Ward Rd in south Kelowna: http://www.wardshardcider.com/.
Closer to home Wards Hard Apple Cider is sold in Richmond at the three Government Liquor Stores. Some of their ciders are at Save-On in Ironwood, as well as at O’Hares, Legends, and Lulu Island private liquor stores. See how tasty and thirst quenching ciders can be. Cider Rules!
