Wise Owl Cider

Cider Maker, Richard Wise, has worked in the fruit industry for over 20 years, managing apple orchards across Kent. After visiting the West Country for many years, Richard and his wife Paula started to get very interested in Cider, attending Cider Festivals and generally researching production methods. They made their first batch of cider in 2012 and had their first commercial batch bottled in June 2014. They use a variety of apples often sourced from a friend’s farm in Pluckley (one of the “Most Haunted Villages in Britain”) and bittersweet cider varieties from near Bodiam Castle. “We use approximately eight different varieties of apple that we mill and press ourselves.” The cider is initially fermented for around 2 months and transferred into sterile tanks to mature for a further four months before it is bottled or bulk stored. “We wanted to produce a cider that appealed to a wide range of tastes, for every generation, that was light, flavoursome and well rounded.”