There’s gold in New Ross

New Ross’ Muwin Estate Wine Ltd. recently won a gold medal in the Specialty Cider category at the Canadian Brewing Awards for their appropriately named Bulwark Gold Traditional Craft Cider. Bulwark was the only Nova Scotia producer to take tops honours at the prestigious national competition, organized by TAPS Magazine.

Halifax’s Garrison Brewing and the Tatamagouche Brewing Company, each won a bronze medal for their Ol’ Fog Burner Barley Wine (Garrison) and North Shore Lagered Ale (Tatamagouche Brewing Company) respectively.

According to Germain Bergeron, co-founder of Muwin Estate Wines Ltd., producers of Bulwark Traditional Craft Cider, “winning the gold puts Nova Scotia and Bulwark on the map at the national level. It also proves what we and our fans already know — that craft cider made from real apples blows the competition out of the water. We are lucky to be a part of an artisan craft cider movement that is showing the average drinker what a taste difference it makes to use freshly pressed juice from apples local to our terroir as opposed to the alcopop mainstream ciders made with water, sugar, apple concentrate and flavours.”

Bulwark is just one of a growing number of artisanal cider producers reviving a tradition in apple growing and cider production that dates back 400 years. It’s a welcome return to an industry based on a fruit that has proven itself ecologically suitable to the area, ever since the first French and English settlers arrived in the province.

The value of the raw material isn’t lost on Bergeron who says “Our apples are the obvious asset, and cider making suits the locavore trend in this province that encourages pride in tradition. The microbrewery movement in Nova Scotia showed that handcrafted product cannot be beat, and craft cider is a no-brainer for locally minded consumers. We also have a bit of an inspired hangover of British and Scottish influence — the UK makes up more than 50 per cent of the world’s cider drinkers. it would be foolish to overlook the possibilities in a province with a wealth of heritage apples.”

In fact, it is these heritage apples that provide cider their structural backbone as many are typically higher in acid and tannin than eating and baking apples. Acidity and tannin provide cider a drying finish that balances any residual sweetness in the finished product. Access to these varieties also gives Nova Scotia producers an edge over other provinces without as rich a tradition of growing apples. Bergeron expects more to join the cider industry.

“Our success has paved the way for others interested in making cider to give it a try and we welcome any competition that has people drinking more cider! Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation statistics show that Nova Scotians on average are drinking more cider, and they have voted with their purchase that they support local and craft. There’s a lore to traditional cider making that will attract growers and brewers to experience the apple-to-bottle transformation we are privy to watching at our winery.”

Bulwark’s ciders are most NSLC locations, at some private wine stores and on tap a number of restaurants and bars across the province.

Mark DeWolf is The Chronicle Herald’s resident Sommelier and Manager of Custom Content, Food and Wine as well as President of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers’ Atlantic Chapter.