‘Cider is to Ireland what wine is to France’

Gap in the market led to development of niche craft cider by organic, sustainable producer

David Dennison.

In 2010 David Dennison spotted a gap in the market to develop a niche craft Irish cider.

Planting his orchards that same year, he committed to being an organic, sustainable producer, with every step from the orchard to the bottle entirely in-house, and everything repurposed from wastewater to packaging.

Viking Irish Drinks was set up as a company in 2017 at his farm in the barony of Gaultier, east Waterford, close to the original Viking settlements and the River Suir estuary.

“The planting of the apple orchards started in 2014 and today there are 3.5 hectares, with 14 different cider apples growing,” David says.

Additionally, there is one hectare of outdoor vines for wine making and half hectare of blackcurrants for their Blackcurrant Liqueur and Harvest Blush craft cider.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

“Our cider production commenced in 2019 with three styles based on old farm recipes that include Orchard Cuvée, Harvest Blush and Hop It. "

All production is based on organic methods with sustainability to the forefront of our business.

Wastewater is fed to a reed bed system that creates a wildlife and pollinator hub and native beehives for a continuous pollination for the orchard. 

The company is entirely in-house, with bottling and labelling in their cidery, and all packaging environmentally friendly and fully recyclable.

Along with sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility is also prevalent, and the ‘All-Night Charity Walk’ through the orchard and vineyard started in 2019 has now become an annual event for local causes.

A trained sommelier by profession, David represented Ireland in international sommelier competitions, in addition to being the holder of a Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma.

Having developed a passion for viticulture early in life, it led to him initially to starting a wine importing business, which was followed in turn by operating his own restaurant for 18 years — the famous Wine Vaults in Waterford city.

“It all began with a great interest in food and drink, first as an importer, then as a restaurateur. Now being a producer has brought me back to the roots of the business, so to speak, and has been a very exciting journey so far.”

Weather is an obvious factor in a business where good growth is a key ingredient to success and being located in the sunny South East has certainly helped.

“It has been generally a good summer for growth, though we do suffer the occurrence of regular cold snaps, which have been a trend for the last few years,” he says. 

Certainly weather plays a major part, as it does in most wine producing countries.

“But while other places suffer from too much heat and not enough water, we do not have these problems. 

"On the contrary, we have to much rain and wind and not enough heat or sun, so we have to adapt our ‘terroir’ and grape varieties to suit our ever changing climate.”

David readily agrees that cider has been ‘having a moment’ in recent times, and continues to grow as a natural accompaniment to good food. 

As part of his education, he visited Somerset, Devon and Cornwall in the UK, where cider has long established itself as a vibrant part of the culture.

“I went to see the styles of cider they were making, and was immediately taken with the passion of those producers,” he explains. 

“While the respective recipes of the different producers are passed down as generational secrets, there was a great sense of community about them and a pride in what they do.

That kind of passion is also evident here in Ireland, and I would see it growing more into the future.

The vineyard calendar sees pruning begin in mid-December, and finish around the end of January. Flowering begins in late April for the earlier varieties, and is a critical period — as witnessed over 2019/20 when frost had a devastating effect.

“We tried everything, including fires around the vines,” David recalls. “But this problem is not just particular to us here in Ireland, as parts of southern England and northern France met the same fate.”

Avian issues

Other unexpected challenges to the vineyard were of an avian nature: “We are animal and bird lovers here, respecting these creatures as part of our eco system and the role they play in our environment. However, what we did not expect was the annual arrival of the mountain thrush, and not just a few, but enough to wipe out the bulging sugary grapes in a few swoops.”

Finding a solution that avoided harming these fine feathered friends took speed, sweat and ingenuity: “We put up scarecrows and anything that would shine, glisten and move, as well as covering the vines with netting.”

Like so many businesses around the country, the pandemic brought difficult challenges to Viking Irish Drinks. With the on-trade closed for over a year, sales were significantly impacted.

“We had begun production in 2018 with a bumper harvest and plentiful sales,” David says. “Our plan for 2020 was to establish the brand in bars, restaurants and hotels as well as in retail and off licence outlets.” 

Impact of Covid

Then came Covid-19 in March 2020, and everything was turned on its head. Much of our trade was decimated before it really got started and we were forced to rescale our forward projections.”

While he acknowledges the assistance provided in the form of mentoring and financial support from the Local Enterprise Board and Bord Bia, David does underline the absence of help to the sector in the areas of Vat, duty, and wages.

Viking Irish Drinks is part of Food The Waterford Way, a collective of local food businesses working together to promote food experiences for locals and visitors to the area. 

Supported by funding from the Local Enterprise Office, Waterford City and County Council, Waterford Leader Partnership and Department of Agriculture Food and The Marine RIDF fund, this producer-led initiative promotes food in the region on behalf of its artisan and craft members. 

Food Academy Programme

Viking Irish Drinks is also part of SuperValu’s Food Academy Programme. 

“Working with SuperValu Food Academy since 2020 has been a great learning experience. Management and staff are always on hand to help with any questions including stocking situations and pricing structures,” he says.

Now in its eighth year, the Food Academy programme supports 290 Irish food and drink producers, generating €170m in sales and supporting 1,500 jobs in communities nationwide.

“Cider adds a very important dynamic to the shelves of supermarkets and off licenses, as well as bars and cafes,” he says. 

"Apple cider is our Irish wine, the equivalent of fine wines to the French. It is 100 per cent natural and its compatibility with food is incredible.#

"And happily for those of us who produce, its popularity continues to grow.”