“Cheekiness is mandatory”, states the website of New Zealand’s Tutū Cider, and it was just that type of cheerfully irreverent attitude (to which we are irrevocably drawn) that made us helpless to resist sampling this unique hard cider hailing from Nelson on the northern coast of the South Island, a region blessed with more sunshine-filled days than anywhere else in the country.
All that sunlight is a key component to Nelson-Tasman’s incredibly high quality and diverse agricultural offerings, from juicy plums to irresistible cherries to hops for most of the country’s breweries. Apples thrive beautifully in this climate, and anyone with the foresight to look beyond the apple tree can see the logical next step is a delicious hard cider.
A newer addition to the Kono’s family, (which includes Tohu and Aronui Wines) Tutū is exactly what you’re craving when everything else at the party feels a bit too buttoned-up. It’s an unbuttoned adult beverage, a let-your-hair-down kind of beverage you wouldn’t feel crass taking a giant gulp of after a bike ride. It’s cheeky.
Expertly crafted using a guarded family recipe from single varietal Nelson Fuji apples, Tutū’s light effervescence and subtle bite of dryness allow the fresh, crisp, juicy Fuji apple flavors to really shine through. Tutū is a Māori colloquialism for mischievous, and it’s certainly an attribute to cherish in our book.
