Our
History

Back in 2015 the fields at the Onekaka farm were left bare. They had once been grandpa’s experimental maize crop, a pine forest, grazing for cattle and sheep and more recently home to Felisardo, my mothers Spanish Andalusian Stallion. We didn’t really know what it was good for, apart from effortlessly growing the most magnificent crop of gorse.

One morning we found a beautiful wild apple tree growing up through the gorse and the idea was born. We ripped down the fences and put in the first 400 heritage apple cider trees we had managed to scrounge from Invercargill to the Far North. We bought whatever we could get our hands on, ending up with 13 different cider apple varieties.

Soon, however it dawned upon us we knew nothing about apple growing or cider making.

During the first year the trees took turns at falling over. We propped them up the best we could. I googled “how to prune” but our trees weren’t like the other apples you see driving through Riwaka. They never obeyed the central leader style. Instead they grew their own little knotty structures, randomly fruiting as if at will.

The Kingston Blacks never really grew at all and only ever produce about a handful of fruit each year, despite every foliage spray, soil conditioner and gentle whisper we’ve given them.

The Orchard

Hare
Gully Block

We got hit with black spot in the second spring and I refused to work with sprays. This led us into the world of Stephen Sobkowiak, from the Permaculture Orchard. He says:

“If we make one step towards nature, nature will make 10 steps towards you”.

This created an awakening. No more battling the trees or the land & its inhabitants. We now just let it grow its own way stepping in occasionally to restore the harmony. We’ve never had a sterile strip, we don’t irrigate. Instead we have a lot of long grass, an army of territorial hares, wild bees & cicadas.

Somehow it just works.

We have since added few hundred more trees including a new block of French and Spanish cider apples dotted around an old falling down hut. The Fuero Rous grew large and healthy but never fruited, not a single fruit ever.. Sadly we grafted a large volume of these duds but that’s another story for another time..

Cider Making

Cider academy

We decided to learn cider making in the UK with Peter Mitchell at the Cider Academy in a tiny village called Hartpury. He runs an intensive course with lab coats, PH Meters and Tiration kits. We got to do cider tasting every day before lunch in an old vicarage. I fell in love with Perry and wished I’d planted pears instead.

Back home we started experimenting with a benchtop juicer, ale yeasts, champagne yeasts, wine yeasts and had a few goes at wild fermentation. I stopped experimenting with temperatures after growing a scary pellicle. I follow the instructions on yeast packets now.

Cider apples are generally awful to eat. Even the so called sweets can be crunchy and sweet at first bite, only to turn dry, sour and leave you drooling bitter tanins while spitting out the flesh. They make great cider and the challenge has always been to ferment in a way that leaves the richest floral & fruity aromas to balance their complexities.

Welcome to Temperance, we’re currently brewing in Nelson with our friends at The Workshop. We have ciders on tap currently at The Workshop & Deville Cafe and Bin44 in Wellington

You’ll also get to see us tagging along with the Test Lab Brewery at the Christchurch Beer Fest, Dunedin Craft Beer Festival and at a 16 tap Craft Cider extravaganza event in Wellington coming up at Bin44

The Ciders 2021

No added Sugar - Vegan - Gluten free
Cider available by 50l & 20l keg - get in touch

 

The Beacon

Temperance Dry Cider

Baked apple aromas, lime citrus zest with a crisp bittersweet finish. The Beacon is a traditional English dry cider, the sort you drink by the pint in old west-country pub.

7.0%

Cider Apples

Kingston Black
Sweet Alford

Motherland

Temperance Semi-Dry Cider

A full orchard blend of French Bittersweet and English Bittersharp Cider Apples. Wind fallen when ripe. Luscious aromatics, earthy tones, citrus and lime zest.

6.3%

Cider Apples

Chisel Jersey
Tremlettes Bitter
Broxwood Foxwhelp
Cidero
Bisquet

La Luna

Temperance Dry Ciderita

Agave Tequila, Blood Orange and Zesty Lime - A warm weather Margarita blended into Medium-Dry Cider. Perfect drink to pour as the summer moon rises..

5.5%

Cider Apples

Kingston Black
Cidero
Bisquet
Yarlington Mill
Sweet Alford