Welcome to Summer

The sun is shining and the weather is sweet in the cidery’s little valley here on Salt Spring Island. The apple and pear blossoms have come and gone, and now the fruit is just starting to form on the island’s trees. We’ve still had a few rainy days over the past few weeks, and the grass is still green and the nights are still cool, but the cold, damp grip of winter has most certainly been released.

Around the island, things are noticeably busier: the weekly Saturday and Tuesday markets have begun, the island’s marinas are packed with boats, and the roads, ferries, and shops around the island seem to get fuller every day as the crescendo to high season continues. Here at the cidery, we’ve already had several super busy days in our restaurant on the weekends, and even mid-week there’s now a steady stream of visitors.

Summer is definitely the biggest season for cider drinking. Something about the heat, the burgeoning flowers and fruit, and being out in the sunshine makes some nice, cold cider seem like the rightest, most natural thing to have in your glass. We want to rise to the occasion, and we’ve picked out some fun and refreshing ciders to share for this shipment.

First up, we’ve made a new batch of our Strawberry Rhubarb Pie cider. This is a small-batch release that we only sell in our tasting room and in kegs for our wholesale hospitality accounts, so you won’t find it in liquor stores. It’s a blend of cider with juices pressed from organic strawberries and rhubarb, with just a hint of cinnamon and a whisper of toasted coconut. It’s a semi-sweet cider overall, but with enough tartness from the rhubarb to add some complexity and keep it refreshing.

Speaking of refreshing, we’re also including this year’s release of our Red Grapefruit cider. Due to its popularity, this has now become a regular summer seasonal release. It’s a crisp, straightforward blend of apple cider and red grapefruit that is perfect for the hot weather to come.

We’re also including one last look at our 2025 Grapeskin Perry. For this cider, we pressed Salt Spring Island heritage perry pears to create a wild fermented pear cider. After aging a bit, it then sat for about a month on the skins of some Siegerrebe wine grapes that our friends at Kutatás Wines here on the island provided us. Siegerrebe is a German white wine variety that’s been planted on Vancouver Island and the Okanagan as of late, in part because its hardiness holds up well in our northern climes. Wines made from it usually have an aromatic and somewhat sweet character. The skins complement the pear beautifully, lending a hint of rose and lavender to the nose, and there’s just a whisper of tannins for a note of jasmine green tea on the palate. The pears still come through nicely and lend their usual gentle sweetness to the cider as well. After almost another year to age, this cider has matured and mellowed nicely.

As usual, the other three ciders are up to you to pick, so please follow the link below to make your selections.

Best wishes for a fantastic summer! As always, thanks for your continued patronage, and cheers!