Cider, Daylesford style – Eat Drink West

CLARE Mackie grew up in England on what she calls, “cider country.”

But when she moved to Australia and lived in Darwin, she struggled to locate the traditional, good quality ciders she loved.

“I did some research online and found a guy who grew English heritage cider apples in Victoria, where my husband, Jon is originally from,” Mrs Mackie said.

“This man made quite an interesting selection of ciders in Daylesford. They were predominantly still, without bubbles, which is rare in Australia.”

The Mackies picked up the phone, got chatting to the producer, discovered he was making the drinks they were interested in, and he was ready to retire within weeks.

“He waited for Jon and I to sell-up and move out of Darwin, we drove down…and decided we’d take on Daylesford Cider.”

Six years on, the couple “consistently” open their property seven days a week where there’s an orchard of 17 apple varieties, they hand-pick them, crush and ferment cider – with Mr Mackie as the lead maker – and sell it at their cellar door.

Four days a week they open their kitchen to serve food and drinks.

“When we first took over in 2014 there were four ciders; three were uncarbonated and one was fizzy. Now we’re up

to 12, launching the newest one this week,” Mrs Mackie said.

“We’ve really developed the range to be broad, but we’ve still got traditional, still styles, which is the way we tend to lean; authentic rather than sweet fizzies.

“We have still got something to suit every palette range. A lot of people say, ‘oh, I don’t like cider,’ but when they do a cider-tasting paddle here, a lot are very surprised at how many do appeal to them.”

Daylesford Cider hope to educate the public about the value cider can add to dining experiences.

Mrs Mackie said she’s proud that visitors to the orchard gain a greater understanding of the “farm-to-table, orchard-to-bottle ethos,” as they can see the “full circle” of production.

“I love talking to people when they get here, explaining to them the apple varieties that we grow, why they’re important and why they’ve been chosen, whether they’re bitter-sharps, sharps, sweets, and bitter-sweets.

“Cider is not one dimensional and it’s quite good fun. I hate the myth that cider is just for hot weather, and I don’t like that it’s put in the beer category,” she said.

“It’s just like wine and it’s packed like a wine. The process is the same, and it’s just as applicable to different food types, occasions and different times of the day.”

Looking ahead to summer, the Mackies are booking in events, experiences and gigs at the farm.

“I’m excited to get back to events in our beautiful outdoor space, in which live music works so well. Supporting local musicians is something we’re always keen to do, now more than ever.

“Our new cellar door manager has an amazing background in events, so he’s excited for us to restart our cider launches, small intimate dinners, and food and cider pairing evenings,” Mrs Mackie said.

“We do picnics in the orchard for groups, and we’re about to start launching our hampers.”

Visit daylesfordcider.com.au.