Cider Making
With the unique natural resources at our disposal, we have chosen to produce exclusively according to nature’s terms. This means that we do not add any form of chemistry to the raw must, the yeast is naturally occurring on the apples, and we do not use enzymes, sulfur, or other chemicals Mergelsø was certified organic in 2017.
The production process takes time. In the autumn, the apples are collected as they ripen and fall from the trees. After thorough washing and sorting, the apples are grated into a fine pulp and pressed into raw must. The tanks are filled and the first fermentation takes place in the tanks with continuous racking to control the speed of fermentation. After a few months, the naturally occurring sugar in the raw must has fermented and the semi-finished cider is filled into champagne bottles. Patience – the second fermentation in the bottle is where the magic happens, and it takes time – months. The residual yeast that caused the second fermentation in the bottle is now removed by disgorging – explosively! The bottles are topped up, receive a new cork, are labeled, and are ready for sale about a year after harvest.
It seems simple – but there is a lot of “savoir-faire” as they say in French!
We continue to learn and gain experience – with the goal of achieving the best possible expression of the apples in the bottle.
The Apples
The interplay between microclimate, soil, and apple varieties is the heart of Mergelsø cider. he wild apple trees have probably been created through cross-pollination of the old Danish apple varieties that have stood on the site over time. A natural selection has taken place over decades. We have both wild apple trees that have chosen the nutrient-rich and mild south-facing lakeshore, and we have trees that have managed on the much more frost-exposed and nutrient-poor grass stretch to the north.
We propagate the most flavorful of the wild apple trees by grafting onto wild rootstocks, just as we are pleased that new wild trees are coming through self-seeding. We have several old Danish varieties. These include Bøghs Citron apples, Ingrid Marie, Filippa, Rød Ananas, and Nonnetitter. In addition, we plant new trees of primarily Danish varieties on an ongoing basis. We now have about 25 different “cultivated” varieties.
The goal is to find the right balance between the wild, the old, and the cultivated, and thus achieve the right blend of sweet, sour, and bitter.
