A Cider World Tour.

In October and November of this year [2007] I flew, trained, bussed, drove and walked my way around the world with the sole objective of drinking alcohol! But there was a little more to it than that. I visited the main cider regions of the world each with their own unique ciders, Somerset and Hereford in England, Brittany and Normandy in France, Asturias and the Basque region of Northern Spain, Old Sachsenhausen in Germany and finally New England in the U.S.A..

I was on a Churchill Fellowship and the final objective was for me to bring home to Australia a greater understanding of the world of cider. Visiting dedicated cider houses and cider bars was of fundamental interest, I wanted to discover the culture of cider such as dance, song and poetry and, especially at Cider Festivals, I was able to experience much of this.

There were many highlights of the tour. Meeting Jim Binder the singer of the oldest Wassail (mid winter apple festival) in the world. Visiting the Big Apple Cider Festival at Much Marcle in Herefordshire and meeting the Leominster Morris Men, a truly remarkable bunch. Working with fellow Australian cider enthusiast David Pickering who was in France researching cider apples. Going to the apple festival/conference in Franklin County Massachusetts USA and meeting all the passionate American cider makers and finally going down to Mystic Connecticut and watching an ancient steam cider mill and press in action and trying their New England barrel ciders.

I believe that good cider could become a great addition to our way of life in Australia. It is the perfect beverage for our climate. We already grow apples as good as anywhere in the world and I believe that Australia can also make some of the best cider in the world.

My world tour has only reinforced this opinion. A full account of the trip will be published in my soon to be released book on cider around the world.

Anthony Thorogood, Cider Maker.

Thorogoods Apple Wines

PO Box 83 Burra 5417

Phone 08 88922669 Fax 88923040 www.thorogoods.com.au