By Simone Mundy
Image credit: Kelly Champion
No doubt about it, Cate Lister is a pocket rocket. It’s amazing how much energy and personality fits into her small frame. She’s one of those Inspirational Adeladies who has an idea and goes for it. After all, what is life if you’re too afraid to chase your dreams and take risks? Cate is such a pleasure to spend time with; she surrounds herself with creative people and exudes a positivity and enthusiasm that is contagious!
Cate met her brewing partner Turon while working at a cellardoor, a popular place to find winemakers during the off-season. As different as they are in looks, Turon is tall and dark while Cate is petite and fair, both winemakers, discovered they had some shared imaginings. Both of them wanted make ginger beer and their enthusiasm and experimentation would plant the seeds of cider royalty – Micro Cider Co.
Image credit: Get Shot Photography
Image credit: Kelly Champion
At the heart of Micro Cider Co is its beautiful apple orchard in Lenswood that has twelve different varieties of apples and a couple of pears – perfect for cider creators. It’s also Cate’s favourite place in summer with the rolling hills and dams which she describes as a “view to heaven that gives incredible calm in a fast paced life”.
Image credit: Get Shot Photography
Cate loves living in the Adelaide Hills and finds herself spoiled for choice with small producers of everything imaginable. There’s this sense you get that the growers in the Adelaide Hills have a connection to the land that can be tasted and felt.
She spends her spare time with her two retired racehorses, her daughter and trained chef son in law- who shares her love of great food made from great produce.
Image credit: Get Shot Photography
Cate has always been fascinated by the complimentary flavour combinations found in food and wine. Even as a child Cate would irritate her mother by taste testing her food before dinner parties, a curiosity now put into practice to produce different ciders each vintage. Both Cate and Turon work intuitively with a sensory approach, using handpicked fruit from the orchard with Australian grown ginger, tweaking the process until they reach the perfect balance of flavours.
With a nod to traditional Normandy techniques, the batches are double fermented. This process of leaving the residual yeast in for the second ferment creates a cloudy cider that has a depth of flavour similar to that of a fine wine.
The use of champagne yeast and the double ferment results in a refreshing and dry cider unlike many of the overly sweet ciders flooding the bottle shop shelves. I personally love Micro Cider Co Apple, Pear and Ginger cider because of its difference to other ciders on the market, and for my fellow foodies – it’s a perfect partner for Asian flavours!
Local people, local produce, local passion – an Inspirational Adelady sharing her dream. Taste the fruits of Cate Lister’s labour and you’ll be sure to agree. Here are her fave places in Adelaide:
Simone x
Image credit: Get Shot Photography
FAVE PLACE FOR CIDER + WINE
Apothecary on Hindley Street and Stirling Cellars, and amongst the apple and pear trees in our orchard in Lenswood of course!
Image credit: Get Shot Photography
FAVE MUNCHIES JOINT
Patch Kitchen and Garden, Stirling. They use great seasonal fresh produce from their garden, where you find their chef foraging and children playing.
Image credit: Patch Kitchen and Garden
FAVE HIDDEN GEMS
Too Many — when people visit I tell them get out and explore! Walk the Talk in Verdun, Red Cacao Chocolatier and Woodside Cheesewrights Cheese Shop
Image credit: Woodside Cheese Wrights
FAVE PLACE TO SHARE WITH VISITORS OF SA
Our world class restaurants – Press* Food and Wine, Africola and Restaurant Orana.
Image credit: Press* Food & Wine
FAVE FOODS TO GO WITH MICRO CIDER?
Duck rillettes, Manchego Cheese, Pork Belly with apple cider and ginger glaze with crackling! Now I’m hungry!
Image credit: @microciderco
FAVE PLACE THAT’S FULL OF CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
Sellicks Beach – being by the sea is quite relaxing, even for me!
Image credit: slack1.host22.com/html/photography/bob_caddell1.html
To follow this delightful lady and for more on the delicious Micro Cider Co follow them on social:
:: FACEBOOK :: WEBSITE :: INSTAGRAM
While you’re here, check out some of our other super talented Inspirational Adeladies.
:: Sponsored — part of our “Ladies who drink from the bottle” series ::
