Kings & Spies – Heirloom Series

Size: 750 ml
Alcohol: 8.0 % alc./vol.
SKU: 146823
Packaging: Clear champagne glass; crown closure; flip top for re-closure.

Victorian by provenance, Kings & Spies is a cider fit for royalty or rogues. Crafted from King apples, Northern Spies and other apples of mysterious lineage, this off-dry cider is crowd-sourced and community-minded to the core. A portion of proceeds supports Growing Chefs, a program which educates BC families about growing and preparing healthy food.

The Story:

Kings & Spies is the delicious result of our crowd-sourced fruit program, and a tribute to the apple heritage of our region. When settlers first came to Victoria in the early 1800’s they planted dozens of different apple varietals that would become the orchards surrounding Fort Victoria. While much has changed since then, many of these trees still exist today.  Each autumn, we reach out to our community to help us source apples from heritage orchards, wild areas and backyards. The name was coined the first time we received these crowd sourced apples and noticed that many were King of Tompkins and Northern Spy apples. A truly community cider, the sales of Kings & Spies helps to support the work done by Growing Chef, a Victoria non-profit. Growing Chef, a British Columbia non-profit organization that educates children, families, and community members about healthy eating and healthy food systems.

How we make this cider:

Kings & Spies is part of our Heirloom Apple Series, which contains ciders made from select heritage apple varietals. For Kings & Spies, the blend of apples varies from year-to-year depending on the fruit brought in by the community, but the style is consistently effervescent and off-dry. Also consistent year to year is that we press then ferment the apples at our farm, ferment the juice with a champagne yeast, then induce a malolactic fermentation. Aged for up to three months, this softens the acidity of our Island apples.

Tasting Notes:

Appearance: Gently effervescent, light straw in colour, bright.
Aromas, flavours: Reminiscent of Prosecco; delicate; hint of floral and herbaceous notes
Acid/sweetness: Mellowed acidity, off-dry.
Mouthfeel: Minimal astringency, slight creaminess.

Suggested Food Pairings:

Delicate flavours and light sauces such as white fish, raw oysters, and poultry. Salads and mild, hard cheeses. Prosciutto, Margherita pizza.

Highest awards: SIP Magazine Best of the Northwest 2018, Modern Cider – Judge’s Pick, Glintcap 2016- New World Modern (gold); multiple other awards.