I love tasting and reviewing wines, but sometimes after a long stretch of wine tasting, it is refreshing to taste another alcoholic beverage. On my visit to southern Vancouver Island, I stopped by Junction Orchard & Cidery to try their ciders. The cidery is located about 15-20 minutes north of downtown Victoria, so it is easy for a visit if you are vacationing in Victoria. If you live in Victoria, go and visit to enjoy their ciders on a weekend morning or afternoon trip.
It is quite a small operation, but they produce quite a variety of apple ciders, apple ciders co-fermented with other ingredients like ginger, hopped cider, and pear cider. I tried three apple ciders and one pear cider on this visit. Before tasting the ciders, I was lucky to be able to sit down with cider maker Megan, who told me about the ciders I was about to taste, where they source their fruit from, and their fermentation processes. This year’s cider making was not quite underway but should be in a week or two from when I visited. Besides having an apple orchard at the cidery, they also source apples from their surrounding community.
My Cider Tasting Notes
Junction Orchard & Cidery Semi Dry – fermented with champagne yeast. It has a light apple colour. Medium-intensity aromas of apples and spice. Off-dry, medium-plus body with scrumpy flavours. Light biting bubbles. Medium length. Light and refreshing along with a touch of bitterness. 
Junction Orchard & Cidery Perry – made with Anjou pears from the Okanagan and uses a wild ferment. This cider is crystal clear. A light floral, lychee, and pear nose. Slightly off-dry with medium body and a soft, lean mouthfeel. Medium acidity and medium-sized bubbles. Floral and pear flavours. Medium-minus length.
I asked about the names of the following two ciders. Megan told me that she made cider in batches as the apples came in. Each batch is unique and can be made with a different mix of apple varieties.
Junction Orchard & Cidery Harvest No. 5 – Kings, Jonagold, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Cox Orange, Macs, Granny Smith, Ambrosia, and Bulmer’s Norman apples made via wild ferment. It has a lighter, golden colour. An earthy, apple, and apple skin nose. Slightly off-dry, full-bodied with a round mouthfeel and firm acidic backbone. Full flavour, with dense, dried apples, apricots, and touches of honey, leather, and oak. A medium acidic prickle in your mouth. Some bitterness on the finish. My favourite of all the ciders. 
Junction Orchard & Cidery Harvest No. 6 – Kingston Black, Dabinette, Yarlington Mill, Michelin, and Porter’s Perfection apples made via wild ferment. A deep, clear, amber colour. Deep aromas of dried apple and apple skin. Dry, full-body with a lean but thicker mouthfeel. Deep, dried apple flavour, along with apple skin, oak bitterness, and a touch of caramel. Intense. Medium length with bitterness on the finish.
Where Can I Buy These Ciders?
If you cannot drive up to the cidery, you can order the cider online from the Junction Orchard & Cidery website.
