Autumn is harvest time, and apples are at the peak of the season. Apple Pie, Apple Sauce, Apple Crumble are all great but to get a perfect taste of all the flavours of the apple crop try a nice tall glass of Apple Cider.
Just outside of Victoria, Sea Cider Farm & Cider House is in full swing picking their orchards of over 60 varieties of organic apples. The apples are all pressed at the farm using the traditional rack and cloth method. The Ciderhouse ferments the juice slowly with champagne yeasts, then age it to create their eight critically acclaimed artisan ciders like best selling Pippins, a fruity dry taste, RumRunner, aged in rum barrels give this cider a unique flavour or Kings & Spies a crisp, Italian-style sparkling cider.
Sea Cider Farm is open to the public so you can see for yourself where your cider comes from and sample the varieties first hand to choose your favourite. In the Winter, the Tasting Room is open Wednesday through Sunday (and most Holiday Mondays), experience a sample flight of ciders alongside a artisanal charcuterie plate. In Summer months the farm is open daily to take in the great outdoors with a stroll through the orchards. The peaceful setting has become a popular venue for weddings and receptions too. Groups from 12 to 120 can have a unique event within the stylish Ciderhouse or tented outdoors.
Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse is located at 2487 Mt. St. Michael Rd., Saanichton, BC, just 20 minutes from Victoria and 5 minutes from Sidney & Victoria International Airport. October – May, open 11am – 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday for tastings and tours (Summer’s open daily). For more information visit them online at seacider.ca, on Twitter @SeaciderHouse, Instagram @SeaciderHouse and Facebook.com/Seacider