Abel
A small artisan producer, Abel was founded in 2008 by Mark & Sophie McGill, both with wine industry backgrounds, because they struggled to find anything on the market that actually tasted like the fruit it was made from.
New Zealand is renowned for its delicious apples and pears, and the Nelson region plays a massive part in this, so they set out with the objective of showcasing the best of New Zealand’s apples and pears in a delicious and refreshing cider.
The company’s first commercial release was the 2015 vintage, simply because it took all of 7 years to really perfect a cider that truly represented New Zealand, using their knowledge of the winemaking process to do this.
Abel Méthode Cider is made in small quantities from freshly harvested, hand-picked apples and pears, using predominantly heritage varieties that have been grown in Nelson, New Zealand for over 120 years. These include Cox’s Orange Pippin, Sturmer, Kingston Black, Foxwhelp, Bisquet, Winter Nellis, Winter Cole, and others in small amounts.
Made once a year, crushed and fermented exclusively from apples and pears in stainless steel, without the addition of water or concentrates, the cider undergoes secondary fermentation in bottle, like champagne, bottle-aged for 12-18 months and is bone dry, that’s both refreshing and full of flavour.
Abel ciders are available to buy from Cider Is Wine – just click this link: Our Shop – Abel
ABEL NEW ZEALAND LTD., Trafalgar Street, Nelson, New Zealand