Apple Wine A Brilliant Obsession

For Tony and Susan Thorogood making superb apple wine has become a brilliant obsession and has led them to become leaders in the field of boutique, hand made ciders, wines and apple beer. For each golden glass there is a story - and one Tony and Susan Thorogood are happy to share with visitor to the cellar door.

Their organic and chemically free apple orchard was established in the heritage mining town of Burra in 1990 where, over time, they have planted more than 70 different apple varieties. The trees thrive and fruit is handpicked by Tony, with help from Susan, over a three month period.

Frosty winters and hot summers have proven to be ideal conditions for the old European apple varieties which transform into beautiful wines. Fruit is crushed using an old Italian basket press and then fermented and matured in oak. The resultant wine is then bottled, corked and labelled on site and is then ready for the public.

This year (2006) the Thorogoods have seen a 10 per cent increase in sales, a good indicator of the growing popularity of their product. Where once the cider and wines were blended varieties, single varietal cider wines are now created and have taken their place as the best produced so far.

Thorogoods Fine Apple Wines are beginning to make their mark in the world of wine trophies, picking up a gold medal and best in show at the Perth Wine Show in the "everything other than grapes" varieties. Beer buffs world wide have picked up Billy Bs Original Apple Beer and awarded it a world gold medal. It was voted Australias 5th best beer by Aussie drinkers, while the rest of the world decided it was really Australias second best beer and the Worlds 5th best fruit beer.

Thorogoods dont export much because they have no difficulty selling everything they produce. Most of their wines are sold from their own mudbrick cellar door, but they now do have outlets in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne as well as the Old Bakery at Stone Hut.

And make no mistake, the fine apple wine and other apple drinks available from Thorogoods are thoroughly alcoholic and follow a centuries old tradition. It is these traditions which have been applied to the cider making process in Burra, where Tony and Susan have achieved a unique cider which has nothing to do with the mass market.

Cider has been given attributes ranging from its ability to relive colds and fevers, as an aid to digestion and to promote longevity - but best of all, it tastes wonderful. The Thorogoods have only one criteria when choosing apple varieties - and thats flavour.

"We have about 1000 trees and get an average of 20kg from each, and every year we are getting more apples," Tony said. As well as offering a range of apple wines, beer and ciders, Thorogoods also make a cider just for cooking, with its own raft of recipes.

To cope with demand, the cellar door is now open daily (except for Christmas day) from noon to 4.30pm. "I think a tourist business has to have a bit of responsibility to the tourist that its asking to come," Tony said.

Susan and Tony rarely eat their apples - they mostly drink them - but they are fond of the occasional tarte tatin made from their fruit. "We are totally dedicated in what we do," Tony said.

And dedication has lead to knowledge, which Tony is now able to impart with confidence and skill to other cider makers, often being contacted by people from overseas wanting to start making their own product, while cider makers from around the world also find their way to Thorogoods cellar door, not to mention the sell out cider making classes he conducts in autumn and spring inspired by his recent Churchill Fellowship which explored cider making and cider and food around the world.

Nann Berrett for the Northern Argus.