At ‘Somewhere Unique’, we believe it is important when living and working in a small community to purchase locally. We are always keen to support local suppliers not only to encourage local small businesses but to promote them as well.

Being situated in the beautiful Hunter Valley we are spoilt for choice for wine and, for many years, our local suppliers have been Noyce Brothers for red wines (The Wollombi Recovery Shiraz 2017) and white wines (Semillon 2018) and Stonehurst Winery for sparkling wine (Methode Traditionelle). However, in keeping up with changing contemporary tastes we are proud to also have Incy Wincy Cyder as an alcoholic cyder supplier.

Commencing operation in 2015, in Wollombi, Incy Wincy Cyder is a local success story based upon the initiative and hard work of Peter Ross and Merryl Naughton. Peter and Merryl create dry cyder, appealing to a mature sophisticated palette. All cyders produced are within the technical (show) categorisation of ‘dry’, which is less than 8 mg of residual sugar per litre (most of the Incy Wincy Cyders are actually less than 1 mg of sugar per litre). Being a dry cyder, Peter and Merryl advise to drink it as a champagne or prosecco alternative, and it is especially suited to an accompaniment to cheese, beef, pork or seafood.

As the Cider Australia Trust Mark on each of the bottles labels indicate, all Incy Wincy Cyders are made from 100% Australian grown and sourced apples. Creating the cyder from the apples is largely a task undertaken by hand on their creator’s property in Wollombi. It is a truly hand-crafted process. In fact, apart from machinery used to press the fruit, the only other mechanical tools used are a forklift (which is foot pump operated), and a bottle capper using air pressure.

In six years of operation, Incy Wincy Cyder has been awarded a substantial tally of Silver and Bronze medals from three different cider shows, including nine medals from the prestigious Cider Australia Awards. For a small, local company such awards are a welcome validation of the authentic approach taken by Peter and Merryl.

Incy Wincy Cyder incorporates three main cyder styles. Each is distinct in subtle ways, but all follow traditional dry cider traditions from the United Kingdom and Europe.

  • Huntsman

Huntsman Cyder is the culmination of 3 years of experimentation and development. Huntsman has a wine-like complexity with a touch of Oak in English tradition. Because it is quite dry, like traditional English Cyder, the palate does not tire after several drinks (which is one of the reasons dry wine is so popular).

  • Wild

Wild Cyder uses natural fermentation techniques to allow available naturally occurring yeasts to take over. The process is fine-tuned, but the result is quite different to the more common cultured yeast approach and Wild cyder has an unpredictable complexity.

  • Vat of 9 Tails

Vat of 9 Tails Cyder is made using the tail end of 9 vats, and subsequently is brimming with style and approachability. Because all the vats have different attributes, different yeasts, and fermentation treatments, combining them together is similar to a blended wine style.

Incy Wincy Cyder is developing a very popular reputation among restaurants and cafes across the Wollombi Valley, Pokolbin and into Greater Sydney. Apart from ‘Somewhere Unique’ current stockists include Panino Caffe Restaurant (Wollombi), Great Northern Trading Post (Laguna), Undercliff Winery and Gallery (Wollombi), Muse Restaurant (Pokolbin), Fix Wine Bar + Restaurant (Sydney), Vinery Foods (Annandale), and Wilgrow Orchard (Batlow).

And with Australian Cider Day on March 13th, you can visit the Wollombi Valley and celebrate at the Great Northern Trading Post offering a special Cyder-dedicated menu.

Meanwhile, if you are unable to attend or are not near a stockist, you can order through the Incy Wincy Online Store. Or, you could simply book a getaway to ‘Somewhere Unique’ and enjoy a bottle of Incy Wincy Cyder as part of your stay!

David & Murray