There was old yarn about the pioneers pushing west. Their efforts were foiled by a dog sitting on their tuckerbox spoiling the food supplies. Borambola Wines also had dog who stood guard who met an untimely end and have chosen to name their cider, Tuckerbox Apple Cider, after this Jack Russel Terrior box. Borambola Wines are based between Gundagai and Wagga Wagga in the central southern region of New South Wales. The company started as a winery and while they do grow the grapes locally, the apples are sourced from Orange. And hey, we know Orange grows great apples so we are off to a good start.

Royal Gala, Red Delicious, Fuji and Granny Smith apples are crushed and fermented without the addition of any sugar. Advertised as a medium dry Cider the Tuckerbox Apple cider features a clean and simple label. On the shelf in the shops it is pretty recognizable yet its clean and simple.

The Nose

The smell here is a little unusual, it’s nearly nutty or like overcooked shortbread. There is a typical tart apple scent. It’s probably a pretty subtle scent but the vigorous bubbles make sure you get a noise full.

The Taste

No doubting the fact that it would be placed in the sweet cider category. Heavy acids dance a half beat behind the apple sweetness. Ripe Red Delicious apples are thrown around in this mosh pit of boisterous bubbles. The Granny Smith tart kick, is the standout feature for me.

Final Thoughts on the Tuckerbox Apple Cider.

Yeah, I could accuse this of being a little bit too similar as  the other ciders by wine makers. But I’d happily take a well-made easy drinker like this over a fake cider. Cider is hard work and the big players, CUB, Kirin at el, know cider is hard too. Their intent is on buying taps in pubs and restaurants then selling cheap crappy fake cider in them. The end goal here is to convince the punters that cider is not worth drinking so they can go back to selling easier to make drinks, like lager. I salute little companies like Borambola pushing hard to make sure you and I have choice.

Recently I was staying in a country chain hotel. It was late and the only dinner choice was the hotel’s restaurant. I was sure I was in for a choice of beer or the token effort cider like a Strongbow. I smiled when I saw Tuckerbox on the menu, I kept smiling when I tasted it.

If you want choice and real cider, make a point to say no to crap cider and ask them to stock a quality local cider like the Tuckerbox.

Product Tuckerbox Premium Apple Cider
Company Borambola Wines
Sweetness Medium Sweet
Alc/Vol 5%
Website borambola.com
Country of Origin Australia
Region New South Wales

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