Sweetest apple crop in recent memory following long, hot summer

• Heatwave has increased sugar content in this year’s crop, suggesting an ‘exceptional vintage’

• Leading fine cider brand Showerings expecting yield three times bigger than last year’s harvest

• Climate change affecting growing conditions across southern England

Showerings’ orchard in Shepton Mallet

[High resolution photos available via Dropbox here]

BRITAIN is heading for its sweetest apple harvest in recent memory thanks to the long, hot summer, according to a leading producer.

Bob Wadey, master of the Showerings cider orchard near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, said weeks of sunshine meant the sugar content of this year’s crop would be particularly high, meaning a harvest of ‘exceptional quality’.

Fine cider brand Showerings, the leading triple vintage cider in the UK, is expecting a crop of around 3,000 tonnes of Dabinett apples, compared to just 1,000 last year.

The apple harvest will begin around the third week of September and last till the third week of November.

Mr Wadey said: ‘When it’s hot and dry, it means the sugar content of the apples becomes concentrated. This year’s apples are smaller, as we’ve had the driest March, April, June and July that anyone can remember.

‘But they will be sweeter than ever, which is good news for a cidermaker. It’s the sugar in the apples as well as the tannin that creates the flavour, so we are expecting a very special vintage. The taste should be better than ever.

‘What we’d really like over the next few weeks is some rain. We’ve seen an inch or so in recent days and we could do with some more which will swell the apples by three to four millimetres a week.’

Most of England’s apples are grown in Somerset, Herefordshire and Kent. Growers are having to contend with new conditions thanks to climate change, which is causing the UK to experience hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter autumns, along with an increase in extreme weather events like heatwaves and heavy rainfall.

For producers like Showerings, which works exclusively with bittersweet cider apples, this presents both challenges and opportunities, from navigating dry soils to contending with waterlogged soil thanks to heavy autumn rainfall.

After two consecutive years of difficult harvests, growers agree that this summer will mark a dramatic recovery and a potential ‘monster crop’.

All eyes are now on the weather, with rainfall levels in late summer due to determine the final size of this year’s harvest.

Nick Showering, Director of Showerings, said ‘Last year was a perfect storm thanks to the wet, cool summer and our most challenging harvest as a brand, but this summer tells a very different story. The combination of weeks of intense sunlight and recent rainfall means we are looking at one of the sweetest and potentially most abundant crops in recent memory’.

‘The high sugar content in this year’s Dabinett apples is exactly what we want for our fine cider, as it brings out the full expression of flavour, depth, and balance that defines our triple vintage style. It is a remarkable turnaround, with a crop that looks set to be three times the size of last year’s. The quality of the fruit so far is incredibly exciting. For Showerings, and for fans of fine cider, this looks like being a vintage to remember.’

According to the latest figures, British consumers are increasingly opting for premium and fine ciders, while cheaper traditional brands stagnate.

The overall cider market in the UK is broadly flat, in fact showing a small decline, but emerging premium and fine categories are experiencing strong growth.

Showerings is outperforming the sector, reporting a year-on-year increase in volume growth of 51 per cent.

Recently added to lists from The Savoy to L’Enclume, Showerings is fast becoming a consumers’ and sommeliers’ favourite. The cider’s elegant flavour profile is exceptional for pairing with food making it a refined alternative to wine.

London’s oldest restaurant Rules, which has not had cider on its menu for two decades, recently added Showerings to its list.

Enquiries:

Soho Communications

van den Broek | katrina@sohocommunications.co.uk | 07471 766105Katrina

James Chapman | jamesc@sohocommunications.co.uk | 07714 337710

Notes to Editors

Showerings Cider

The Showering family has been producing cider for over 180 years in the heart of Somerset. Nick Showering took the reins of the family brand three years ago and is the next generation of the British cider making dynasty. It’s in their DNA and these years of experience and cider making expertise enable them to craft what is an artisanal product of the highest quality using the best apples and lots of time. It has been created to enjoy as an aperitif or as the perfect complement to food, as an alternative to wine.

Awards for Showerings range from winning Gold at the 1950 Brewers Exhibition to more recent accolades including a Great Taste Award 2023, two Golds at ICC 2023 and two Golds at IWSC in 2023 and 2024.

Alain Roux, Michelin starred chef and chef-patron of The Waterside Inn: “A delicious cider with lovely fresh fruit aromas and deep, complex flavours… it is incredibly versatile, like having an orchard in a bottle!”

Simon Rogan, Michelin starred Chef and owner of UMBEL Restaurants (L’Enclume, Rogan & Co, Henrock and Aulis): “Showerings is a stand-out cider on the market which displays a delicate complexity that works so well with a range of flavours and food, be it my own dishes or with something more informal at home.”

Showerings is available to buy online via Showerings website and at is sold by Partridges, Jeroboams, Amathus Drinks and Bailey & Sage amongst others.

Showerings is fast becoming a favourite cider amongst the UK’s leading chefs including Simon Rogan and Alain Roux. It is already served in some of the UK’s most respected fine-dining restaurants including, Rules, L’Enclume, The Waterside Inn, The Corinthia, The Hand and Flower in Marlow, NOBU, Woven by Adam Smith at Coworth Park, the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane and Nessa, Soho.

showeringscider.co.uk /  instagram.com/showeringscider/

Enquiries:

Soho Communications

Katrina van den Broek | katrina@sohocommunications.co.uk | 07471 766105

James Chapman | jamesc@sohocommunications.co.uk | 07714 337710

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