Cave crafted cider made with apples grown on the Isle of Wight.
Our Story
Once upon a bike ride, a gravelly puddle became the site of an injured lower leg. Recovering from the grazed knee, over a glass of local cider, we wondered whether we too could produce something so delicious and refreshing. We found ourselves an plot surrounded by the Isle of Wight’s outstanding natural beauty, planted our 250 trees, assembled our cidery in a cave under St Boniface Down, gathered knowledge from the traditional sources of the Three Counties and the West Country and got down to work. Grazed Knee Cider was born.
The Cider
Our orchard is planted with a collection of local island apple varieties including Isle of Wight Pippin, Sir John Thorneycroft, the massive Howgate Wonder, Bembridge Beauty and Little Pax, and classic bittersweet and bittersharp cider varieties including Dabinett, Stoke Red, Kingston Black, Foxwhelp and Yarlington Mill, along with varieties with names we could not resist, Liberty, Fillabarrel, Slack ma Girdle, Sops in Wine, Helen’s, Katy, Bulmer’s Norman, Gilly, American Mother and Porter’s Perfection. We blend together juice from the apples to provide the best mix of acidity and tannins for good fermentation in small batches in the cool conditions of our cave, and let the yeast do the rest, slowly but surely. When the time is right and not before, we bottle the cider.
Our Ciders
Our ciders are made from apples grown, pressed and bottled on the Isle of Wight. They are matured in tanks kept in our cave at a constant temperature and humidity to get the best flavour possible from them.
The 2022 Vintage available now
From apples harvested in 2022, pressed, slow fermented and matured in our cave until it is at last ready to be bottled and sold in 2024.
Spell Unker
Our still, dry cider, ABV 6.8%. Lovely clean fresh citrus taste with hints of butterscotch and sunshine.
Under Down
Our still, medium cider, ABV 6.4%. Soft astringency with a splash of dried fruit.
Island Time
Our bottle-conditioned, sparkling cider, ABV 7.0%. The internationally renowned Ciderologist Gabe Cook described it in his book Modern British Cider (2021) “Bloody lush. Great minerality and texture”
Dolcoppice
At single orchard cider providing a unique blend of cider apples. This premium cider is bottle-conditioned and sold in both 300ml and 750ml bottles. Soft and gentle tannins, dry, sparkling, ABV 7.5%.
Coombe Bottom Perry (pear cider)
A sparkling dry perry ABV 7.0%, made from pears picked in a ‘Capability’ Brown designed kitchen garden at Appuldurcombe. An extremely limited batch which will sell out early.
