The owners of Twisted Hills Craft Cider have been winning awards for their delectable ciders since opening in 2012.
So it’s no surprise the Similkameen Valley cidery took home top prize—Best Cider of the Year—for Tangled Rose at the 2019 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada.
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The cider is described on the WineAlign website as a “successful, apple-dominated ferment with a dash of ‘other’ fruit,” which is 10 per cent plum—all grown organically.
“Despite the semi-sweet designation on the label, it finishes sharp and crisp thanks to deliciously tart acids.”
Last year, the Cawston-based cidery took home the same award for a version infused with cherries called Midnight Cherry.
“The repeat result cements the company’s position in Canada’s very top tier,” the website reads.
According to owner Kaylan Madeira, the secret to success is all in the fruit.
“We are certified organic on all of our properties. We grow cider specific varieties of apples as well. The Tangled Rose, which won, is a base on cider specific variety as well as 10 per cent Santa Rosa plums,” she explained.
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“We’re excited to have won two years in a row and we look forward to the commitment of making more organic ciders in the future that people can enjoy. We do everything ourselves so we don’t subcontract out our bottling or pressing. All of our stuff is estate grown so we do everything from the orchard right until they get labelled.”
Madeira, who co-owns Twisted Hills Craft Cider with Jo Schneider, a fifth-generation orchardist, said Tangled Rose is versatile and pairs well with pretty much any meal.
“It is amazing with fish and poultry,” she said.
In 2019, it was the first time two cideries tied for Best Cider of the Year. Twisted Hills Craft Cider shared the gold medal with the Okanagan cidery BC Tree Fruits Cider and its Broken Ladder Apples & Hops cider.
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