Just off Highway 97, on the drive between Kelowna and Penticton, you’ll find Summerland’s Bottleneck Drive, a worthy stop for wine fans and cider lovers. Four cideries are now situated among the orchards here, each crafting unique cider styles: Dominion, Nomad, Millionaires Row and Summerland Heritage.
In 2024, frosts damaged grape vines and soft fruit trees, and apple and pear trees also suffered. Orchardists who had younger trees, or who pruned earlier, saw diminished crops of thirty per cent or more. Additional farming challenges in Summerland include fire blight, a bacterial disease that kills blossoms and shoots and can cause death in branches and entire trees, and extreme summer heat. However, these cideries all do have cider made with their own and local fruit and look forward to introducing you to their new releases this season.
Dominion Cider Co.
10216 Gould Avenue, Summerland
DominionCider.com
Dominion Cider Co., founded in 2015, is known for small-batch craft ciders. Dominion uses a selection of crab, dessert and heritage apples grown onsite and from nearby farms, along with other fruits and spices. Cidermaker Mike Harris and assistant cidermaker Alyssa Hollis embrace low-intervention cider making, encouraging spontaneous fermentation using wild yeast found naturally on the apples, and finish their ciders without fining or filtering.
The tasting bar is open in the warmer months from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring your own picnic and grab your favourite cider after your tasting and settle down in the picnic area. Don’t miss Pretty to Think So, a cider crafted with apples and raspberries, that is dry and tart with distinctive apple skin and dried plum notes.
Millionaires’ Row Cider Co.
14113 Dale Meadows Road, Summerland
MillionairesRowCider.com
Millionaires’ Row is a family-run cidery with apple orchards more than 100 years old, although they didn’t turn to cidermaking until 2016. The tasting room will open at the beginning of May this year, and there’s a picnic area in amongst the trees where you can bring your own lunch. Their ciders are made with a blend of dessert and heritage apples and are fully estate-grown. The team crafts consistent ciders year-after-year with controlled ferments. Millionaires’ Row has some unique ciders, including Making a Mint, with mint, hibiscus and lemon. We particularly enjoyed High and Dry, a blend of estate orchard and traditional apples with floral, spice and apple, with a dry finish and noticeable bubbles.
Nomad Cider
8011 Simpson Road, Summerland
NomadCider.ca
Nomad Cider’s team, Mike Petkau and Brad Klammer, are intrepid travellers, so naturally their cidermaking showcases various styles enjoyed in cider-making regions around the world. Nomad employs natural cider-making techniques and crafts cider in the tradition of England, France, Spain, Germany, and even one in the style of Quebec’s ice cider.
They’re open all week, but during the summer weekends plan on spending time at Nomad to enjoy the views of Giant’s Head Mountain, along with an onsite BBQ. The spread includes 12-hour smoked pork butts, ribs, pork belly, and burnt ends along with coleslaw and beans. For those looking for something quick, smokies are available.
Try Nomad’s Estate Keeved Cider. Keeving is the traditional French process of making an effervescent cider by removing nutrients from the juice to ensure a long, slow fermentation resulting in a cider with some natural fruity sweetness and less alcohol. The Nomad Keeved is fruity with a luscious palate and noticeable tannins on the finish.
Summerland Heritage Cider Co.
3113 Johnson Street, Summerland
SummerlandCider.com
Summerland Heritage Cider Co. is the oldest cidery on Bottleneck Drive, having crafted cider here for more than twenty years. Ted and Lauren Vollo are the current generation of famers working this land and cider press. The team is known for their traditional and modern ciders made with European cider-specific apples they grow in their orchard. They have recently expanded their tasting room and there’s a covered patio where you can enjoy a panini and light snacks, including a snack flight for kids. Try the Summerland Heritage Mango Passionfruit Cider, bursting with tropical fruit without being overly sweet, or try their hopped or wine barrel-aged cider.
