orchard
ABOUT US
Wyldlands is an artisan based cidery and small holding based in the small valleys of West Dorset, in Monkton Wyld.
Having a 200 year old twin screw cider press in the Cider Barn meant we put our heritage orchard to good use and we made our first batch of cider 7 years ago.
Since then we have honed our technique and focused on creating beautiful naturally fermented sparkling ciders.
We pick our apples from our own growing orchard as well as outside of Lyme Regis - the terroir of our soil and the coastal climate means we grow full flavoured, organically grown apples which are perfect for a sweet yet tannic cider.
It is a small set up with 3 of us at the helm, but a whole community behind that. Other makers will make their ciders at our barn, help and advise, and the cider season is a special time of connecting with friends and family.
our cider making Approach
pick
We have our own orchard here at Wyldlands with approximately 50 trees where we pick, by hand, from a variety of cider and eating apples. We also use an orchard on the fringes of Lyme Regis to bolster our crop - all orchards are unsprayed, and treated with an organic approach.
press
Once picked, we get our apples into the cider barn ready for pressing. We press through organic straw, creating a ‘cheese’ tower of straw and apple pulp. The honey like juice flows through and is then transferred straight to the barrel where it will sit for at least 3-4 months doing it’s primary fermenation.
ferment & bottle
Once fermented, we get our juice into the bottle. Here our ciders sit for up to a year in our cider barn cellar. Here the cider does it’s secondary ferment creating a sparkling juice within the bottle. It is tested regularly to get it to it’s perfect taste and then it is ready to head to market.