The festival will be located at The Apple Shed in the Huon Valley, where Festival Director Sam Reid and his team from William Smith & Sons will be showcasing their new bottles of Bone Dry Cider to members of the public.
Festivities will kick off on the Friday night with the Burning Man, which will seen an effigy over six metres high set on fire.
The main event will take place on the Saturday night in a salute to the traditional ‘twelfth night’ festivals, where the ancient ‘wassail’ ritual was intended to wake up the dormant apple trees, scare away the evil spirits and ensure an abundant cider apple harvest for the coming season. The Australian Morris Dancers - a collection of over 40 Morris Dancers, representing groups from around Australia - will lead the wassail celebrations and set the tone for a memorable evening of fireside celebration.
The 2016 program is jam packed with folk music artists, including confirmed headline acts, Annie Lee from the Kransky Sisters and psychedelic, gypsy, prog-rock band, Ungus Ungus Ungus. The full 2016 program is due to be announced in the coming months, while a limited number of first release tickets to the festival can currently be purchased online at www.huonvalleymidwinterfest.com.au
Willie Smith’s Bone Dry Cider
Willie Smith’s Bone Dry Cider 6.9%ABV, famously known as Australia’s driest cider, is now available in a new, 300ml bottle. The company decided to release a smaller format after receiving feedback from bartenders that the 500ml bottle is difficult to stock.
“It’s not the kind of product that most venues feel they can put on tap as it’s too dry for your average drinker”, Reid, who is also co-owner of William Smith & Sons said.
“Unfortunately, the 500ml bottles we are using aren’t very good in bars and restaurants from a pricing perspective and so we have decided to add a 300ml offering to the range. We think Bone Dry is a great alternative and will help to continue to evolve the category to more complex, drier styles of cider and a 330ml format enables more people to range it and more customers to trial it.”
Bone Dry is produced at William Smith & Sons' farm at Grove in the Huon Valley, using organic apples grown on the property.
It is fermented out to dry, oak aged with French oak for a minimum of three months giving a super dry flavour profile with a big oak body and smooth clean finish that lingers with you long afterwards.
RRP $24.99 per four-pack.
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