Solhøi ‘Rubinesse’ Fruit Cider 2019-2020

Location: Norway

Cidermaker: Martin Bech-Ravn

Fruit: Apples (Rubinola & Finesse), grapes, sloe berries

Cidermaking: apples and grapes are macerated together for 48 hours, then fermented spontaneously in plastic vats. After fermentation, the cider is transferred to French red wine barrels, where the sloe berries are then added. After one year of aging in barrel, apple juice from the next year is added to spark second fermentation and generate carbonation.

From us at M&L: Dry, crisp, fruited but with notes of wild nettle and sea salt. Complex.

From the Importer Super Glou: Solhøi was launched in 2016 by cidermaker, homebrewer and artist Martin Bech-Ravn, who set out to make wild-fermented ciders from the best Norwegian apples. The production method is based on traditional Champagne production, with long and cold fermentation, natural carbonation in bottle + disgorging, all done by hand start to finish. Nothing is added or removed, leaving a natural product consisting of 100% fruit. The philosophy behind Solhøi is to work with nature, not against it. At Solhøi it is about getting the most premium ingredients available and guiding them in the best possible direction. The rest is arranged by nature itself, on its own terms.

Cider produced from Nordic apples is very different from the classic French or English. The apples have a distinct structure that is all their own. Drinking Solhøi is more likely to put you in mind of dry sparkling wine than cider. The Norwegian apples Martin uses for Solhøi yield an elegant and acid-driven profile with fine apple tones.

Solhøi is sold throughout Norway at the wine monopoly, restaurants and bars, a number of which they have collaborated with to make restaurant-specific cider, often including other fruit, berries or flowers in the process to match the restaurant profile.