I first met with Dr. Jordana Pomeroy in Alexandria, Virginia on Tuesday September 20th 2005. Less than a week earlier we had spoken about perry and she had expressed a strong interest in learning about it and in attempting to bring Oliver's perry to America, a proposition that seemed fraught with difficulties, but luckily, JP was not one to be put off by a daunting task.
A long story, cut short, led her to unearthing the (beer) importers and distributors "Shelton Brothers"
JP had visited Herefordshire in early 2006 and persuaded Brother Ron of the merits of a visit to Oliver's Cider and Perry house, which he was able to do later in that year. Suitably impressed with the quality and range of products, we talked, drank, visited other producers, stopped by some stores and then started talking styles and labels. The end result is that 180 cases of 3 ciders and perries reached Shelton Brothers, Mass on July 20th 2007.
Herefordshire Cider-a truly dry, intense, astringent cider.
Herefordshire Perry-a full, round, dry perry
Blakeney Red-a single varietal medium perry with a delicate, smooth taste.
My thanks to Jordana and Ron and Shelton Brothers-it's a first and others will follow!
I also wish to thank Mr. Ian Hunter for his great songs and for his lyrics which I have shamelessly plundered over the years.
Shelton Brothers Does Cider
Oh sure, we've talked about bringing in wine, and we probably will, some day. But eleven years in, we've never imported anything but beer. (We'll leave Daniel's wife out of this for now.) We've often been asked why we don't import cider, but our answer has invariably been, "well, we don't really like cider that much."
So, when Brother Ron came back from England last year all a-flutter about the cider house he'd just visited, we were skeptical. Surely this was just more of the same, bland, sugary-sweet, alcoholic apple juice we'd rejected over the years? Ron had recently met the woman of his dreams, so he could be excused if maybe his head was elsewhere.
But this stuff was good. No, it wasn't just good, it was fabulous . . . . dry, and complex, brimming with intense flavors. It was fermented with wild yeasts and had much more in common with Belgian Gueuze than with 'cider.' Who knew?
The old farm in Herefordshire where Oliver's Cider House sits has been producing cider and perry for at least three centuries. Not much has changed there in that time. We're pleased to have three products from Oliver's, all of which have just arrived in the USA for the first time this week. We've got only 60 cases of each, however, so you may have to work a bit to find them. We think it will be worth the effort.
Posted by: Will Shelton on Jul 20, 07
Oliver’s Cider and Perry House produce fine, distinguished perries and ciders, in small batches. Each vintage has its own unique character.
Herefordshire’s deep, rich, sandstone-derived clay and loam soil, and its usual daytime sunshine and gentle night time rain, are all perfectly suited to the growing of cider apples and perry pears. Blend in hundreds of years of artisan cider production, and you have the tastiest, most complex ciders and perries available anywhere.
Cider has been produced on the farm in Ocle Pychard for at least three centuries. These quintessentially English drinks are still produced the way they were centuries ago.
Oliver's Cider and Perry House crafts its products in small batches, using fresh (mostly hand-picked) unsprayed fruit, with minimal intervention. These ciders and perries are distinctive and handsomely presented, respecting the great heritage and traditions of the past but with an eye to innovating for the future.
Oliver's strives to produce premium products, while valuing the health and well being of its consumers, its employees, the earth's natural resources, and the environment. In fact, Oliver's have created a charter that they hope all cider makers will follow. Its tenets are these:
• To help secure the future of UK orchards and their ecosystems
• Preserve the integrity of cider and perry as valuable products of recognised quality using only UK fruit
• Declare ingredients (with traceability), based on a minimum juice content of 85%, control and minimise additives and use only natural products.
To that end, Oliver's products are made from 100% fresh pressed juice, with no artificial flavorings or additives. The fruit is unsprayed and usually from orchards that are grazed through the year by cattle and sheep.
The pears and apples are picked at full ripeness, sometimes stored to mature further, then washed, milled and, whenever necessary, macerated, before being pressed, and then fermented by wild yeasts and aged in old oak barrels for up to 10 months, before being blended and then bottled or released on draught. Sulphites are used sparingly.