

Just 9,000 bottles of Chalkdown Cider are made in Hampshire each year, using apples grown in the South Downs.
The entire process, from the selection and sorting of apples to the application of labels on the finished bottles, is overseen by the Chalkdown team, based in Andover Down.
Apples are pressed each autumn, and each vintage has its own unique character that reflects the annual variations in the fruit that has gone into the cider. The skill of the cider maker is to adapt to this natural variability – using science and the senses – to create a product that has balance, refinement and elegance.
Chalkdown works with selected growers to identify the best possible quality fruit. The apples – all 250,000 of them – are carefully hand-picked and sorted to remove any damaged fruit that might have been missed.
The fruit is then washed, milled and pressed using a traditional-style frame press before the juice is left to clarify, then racked off and inoculated with yeast and left to ferment in stainless steel tanks.
After fermentation, the cider is left to rest before being bottled in the Spring.
At bottling a yeast culture and some sugar are added to enable the secondary bottle fermentation – this is the process that ensures the cider is sparkling with fine bubbles.
After the secondary fermentation is complete the bottles are laid down for 18 months to allow contact between the spent yeast and the cider. The yeast cells go through processes called autophagy and autolysis, which add new flavour to the cider and enhance its mouth feel. This is part of what makes Chalkdown Cider unique.
The process isn’t finished there – there is one final step before the bottles are ready for sale. After the bottle ageing, the bottles are riddled to move the expended yeast into the neck of the bottle.
The bottle neck is then frozen and the yeast is disgorged from the bottle, locked in a plug of ice, to leave a clear cider.
A small ‘dosage’ is added to create the optimal balance of sweetness and acidity.
The bottle is corked and then left again to rest for a few weeks to allow for integration of the dosage.
Finally, it’s labelled and packed – ready to ship – and to drink!
