Annapolis Cider Company “The Classic”

Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Cider is something I started to really enjoy when I was going through the most intense part of my wine education. I was tasting a lot of wines in preparation for my exams and felt like drinking something else afterward. For the most part it was beer; I went into a big NEIPA phase which never ended, but my wife and I don’t enjoy the same type of beer… so cider came into our lives! With it, a brand-new world of food pairing and discovery opened up to us! I can now say that we are keen on replacing wine once every couple of weeks by a gorgeous bottle (or cans) of Canadian cider and our favourites often come from the eastern part of our country (not that we don’t like Alberta or BC ciders though!).

The Annapolis Cider Company is one of my go-to cideries when it come to pure apple ciders, although they make some delicious “flavoured cider” like the Rhubarb and Ginger that we also carry. The cidery was founded in 2016 by Nova Scotian Gina Haverstock, the winemaker at Gaspereau Vineyards and her husband Sean Myles, an agricultural scientist working to preserve the biodiversity of orchards and tree fruit in association with Dalhousie University. They started the cidery with the goal of creating ciders that are genuine expressions of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. To achieve their goal, they partner with local fruit growers to obtain the highest-quality fruits while committing to a philosophy of minimal intervention and the practice of long, cool fermentations of unique cider and heritage apple varieties. Needless to say, they are passionate about the terroir of Nova Scotia, and it shows in their delicious ciders!

They describe The Classic as “all about apples!  A full-bodied and fruit forward blend of fresh-pressed apple juice together with slow-fermented dry cider. The apple varieties vary throughout the year - enjoy the diversity!”

I would add to their description that although this cider displays a good level of sweetness it is not syrupy. On the palate you are greeted by generous apple flavours and a lovely acidity. It is truly enjoyable with spicy Korean fried chicken; I recently cracked open a can with breaded pork cutlets with a spicy, herby tomato tart and an arugula salad and it was simply perfect!

$5.95