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It was first time lucky for Justin and Cynthia Oliver when they entered the New Zealand Cider Awards and came away with a win.
The Matakana couple have produced organic alcoholic beverages for a number of years, but had never entered a competition before.
“We haven’t taken our Bohemian Ciders to the general market yet, but winning an award straight away indicates to us they should prove popular,” Cynthia says.
They already own and operate Free Range Wines, but saw an opportunity to enter the cider market.
“Justin works for Lothlorien Winery already and they bring in organic apples and have a proper press, so it seemed like a good idea to make some,” she says.
They won the Cider with Fruit category with their Twig and Berry cider.
“We’ve taken some ideas from our winemaking, so that cider was done in wooden barrels to give it an oak flavour,” Cynthia says.
“All of our drinks are made using wild fermentation and all natural ingredients, so they don’t taste like an artificial beverage.”
They currently have three other ciders in their range – Acid Drop, Tamarillo Amarillo and Original Cyn – and have produced around 6000 litres this year.
Bohemian is now one of the few remaining cider makers in the Mahurangi region, but Justin and Cynthia are optimistic for the drink’s future, aiming to double their production and achieve national distribution.
