Quality you can taste

South Tyrolean apple cider

South Tyrol is the largest contiguous apple cultivation area in Europe, so it should come as no surprise that a lot of apple-based products are made in this region. They include anything from juice and dried fruits to vinegar. The latest addition to the range of products bearing the South Tyrolean seal of quality is South Tyrolean apple cider, a sparkling wine with low alcohol content which offers a fresh, fruity alternative for more common aperitif drinks. Certified, independent authorities carry out periodical checks to ensure compliance with the strict quality requirements during production.

The most important quality criteria include the following:

The raw material must be 100 percent sourced in South Tyrol.
Only hand-picked apples from integrated or organic cultivation that are undamaged and free from rot can be used.
The apples are thoroughly washed before processing to get rid of any possible contamination.
No extraction using water, steam, or enzymes is permitted during the juice production process.
The maximum juice yield is 80 percent.
Adding fruit concentrate, artificial flavours, sweetening agents, water, distillate, or acid is not permitted.
Periodical checks are carried out by independent authorities.

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South Tyrolean apple cider in terms of numbers

4,5 %

is the average alcohol content of the apple cider.

artificial flavours, sweetening agents, fruit concentrate, distillates, or acids are contained in the apple cider.

producers make South Tyrolean apple cider.

How is South Tyrolean apple cider produced?

First of all, the hand-picked apples are gently ground and pressed using very little force. After that, the juice is let sit for a while for natural fining. For the fermentation process that follows, special yeast strains are used. To make sure to preserve the flavours, temperatures are kept low during fermentation. The subsequent second fermentation process gives the cider its typical perlage. The process is similar to the production of sparkling wine. Apple cider is made using the bottle fermentation process. That means that the clean apple wine is brought to fermentation once again by adding yeast and filled in bottles. The pressure forming in the bottles creates the perlage. After fermentation, the sparkling wine is stored for a few months.

What is remuage?

Remuage or “riddling” involves shaking the sparkling wine bottles by hand. This is done to support the mechanical fining of the sparkling wine during the bottle fermentation process. The dead yeast precipitate (the “lees”) in the neck of the bottle is then removed during the last working step, the disgorgement.

What is disgorgement?

Disgorgement is the process of removing the lees from the neck of the bottle. To this end, the neck of the bottle is put through an ice bath so that the yeast freezes into a plug. Then the crown cap is opened and the excess pressure ejects the plug of ice from the bottle. The empty space thus created is then filled with the “filling dosage” and the bottle is corked.

Quality you can taste

South Tyrolean apple cider

The most important quality criteria include the following:

South Tyrolean apple cider in terms of numbers

How is South Tyrolean apple cider produced?

The creators of South Tyrolean apple cider

Our producers