Gurneys Cider has gone crazy and fully crossed the streams with Gurneys Noir Cider. How crazy I hear you ask? Well, this cider contains GRAPES, yes wine grapes. So, is this an apple flavoured sparkling wine or a wine flavoured cider? 

Gurneys have used a Pinot Noir grape in this cider which gives it a rosy hue. Now I’ve seen a few ciders aged in 2nd hand oak barrels that had the first life in wineries, but this is the first time where I have seen grapes co-fermented with apples. 

The Pinot Noir grapes are supplied by Dirty Three Wines, who sell this as the “Dirty Cider“. This winery is in the same region of South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. This accounts for about a third of the liquid.  

The apple two-thirds of the bottle are Strumer Pippin apples grown in Gurneys orchards. The juice of both are fermented in the bottle, together. Most of the sediment is ejected from the bottle just before it is capped for the last time. 

The rear label of a bottle of Gurney's Noir Cider

The Nose 

The first whiff gives a big chocolate hit. Those Pinot Noir grapes are coming through. But this is hiding most of what you would expect to come from apples. What does come through is a nice caramel and baked apple scent. 

The Taste

There is all sorts of fruit coming through in the Noir Cider. Again, the taste is dominated by those grapes particularly in the first moment of the mouthful. The middle is the moment where the apples come through, it’s all too fleeting.  It is reasonably dry but still very fruit-forward. 

Final Thoughts on the Noir Cider

Ok, so you may have noticed that this site is called Real Cider Reviews, with the emphasis on Real Cider. Is this a real cider? Well, I say that cider should only be made from apple (maybe pears too) and this just doesn’t meet that criteria. Does that really matter? No not really. It’s a quality product made from real fruit. Which is a whole lot better than a lot of “cider” on the market. 

Let’s look at the other side of that coin. A lot more people understand wine and know what to expect from it. So, what Gurneys and Dirty Three Wines have made is a very drinkable beverage that will draw in wine drinkers and give a little hint of what a cider could be. My family was really enjoying this on Christmas morning with a bit of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs because anything goes on Christmas. I just wish the Pinot Noir factor was wound back a little bit more to really let the Strummer Pippin apples shine. 

Product Noir Cider
Company Gurneys
Sweetness medium dry
Alc/Vol 10.1%
Website https://gurneyscider.com.au
Country of Origin Australia
Region Victoria

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