De Groote Wei Ciderij Appelvink

Recently I met a group of young farmers from around the world traveling around the world to learn from other farmers. One of the group was an orchardist from the Netherlands who just so happened to have a couple of bottles of her De Groote Wei Ciderij Appelvink apple cider with her.

I better explain the name for the non-Dutch speakers. De Groote Wei is the name of the orchard that has been in the family for over 100 years. While Appelvink is a portmanteau of Sophie’s two grandmothers’ names. One grandmother had the apple orchard and was known as what could be translated as granny apple (appel) and the other was known as Granny Finch (vink) so the cider was named Appelvink

This cider is a nearly bone-dry expression of Jonnagold, and the Dutch eating apples Elstar and Goudrente.

The Nose

The scent is full of crisp green apples with their sharp acidic notes. but the brightness is backed up by something a bit earthier.

The Taste

This vigorously bubbly cider is undoubtedly dry. The surprising thing is that this isn’t as sharp as what the scent would lead you to believe. The tail end of this is very fruity. Coming in at 6.5% this finch is no lightweight.

Final Thoughts on De Groote Wei Ciderij Appelvink

This is a new cider to the market, and it feels like there are a few rough edges. That’s not to say that it is unpleasant or undrinkable. Quite the opposite. The balance of the bone-dry cider with plenty of fruit flavours is excellent. perhaps I need to visit the Netherlands?

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