Does the soil make a difference in cider?

You might have heard the word "terroir" thrown around when discussing wine — but did you know that it's a factor in cidermaking too?

For the uninitiated, "terroir" is a French word that has no direct English translation, but which comes from the word "terre", meaning "earth" or "land". Basically, it's the phenomenon where fruit takes on the flavour of the soil and climate in which it is grown.

In other words, if another orchard was to make cider using the same heritage apple varieties as us here at Bellevue Orchard in Victoria, the cider wouldn't taste the same. Our amazing Gippsland soil makes our apples and cider taste like none other. 

Some people even believe that as well as geography, soil and climate, "social terroir" — including the people, culture and growing methods used — contributes to the final flavour of the cider.

We love this concept because it means not only that our cider is totally unique, but that when you drink Trattore cider you're literally tasting the time and place in which our beloved apples were grown. We mean it when we say that a bottle of our cider contains years of sunshine, rain, hard work and care!