A Visit to Thatchers!
The Wine Shop team were lucky enough to spend an evening at Thatchers — learning how one of Somerset's finest family cider makers has been perfecting its craft since 1904.
A Family Business, Five Generations Deep
Thatchers began in 1904 when William Thatcher, a local farmer, started making cider for his farm workers. More than 120 years later, the company is still in the Thatcher family — now in its fifth generation — and remains rooted in the same Somerset landscape where it all began. For a team that spends its days working with wine, an evening immersed in the world of cider offered a fascinating parallel: the same dedication to raw ingredients, the same care in fermentation, and the same commitment to craft that guides great winemaking.
From Orchard to Glass
Our guide Phil began by walking us through the arrival and washing of the apples — and promptly impressed us all by identifying the variety of each apple just by sight. With over 7,000 species of apple in the world, that is no small feat. From the washing station, the apples travel through the cider house to the crushers and presses, where the juice is separated from the skins and pips. The remaining solid matter — known as pomace — is not wasted. Nothing is.
The zero-waste ethos at Thatchers is genuinely impressive. The pomace is converted into energy. The carbon dioxide produced during fermentation is captured and later used to carbonate the cider. At a time when sustainability often feels like a marketing exercise, it was refreshing to see it operating at every level of production.
Fermentation and Maturation
From the press room, we moved into the fermentation hall — where the apple juice begins its transformation — and then on to the oak ageing room. Here, enormous barrels a hundred years old line the walls, each holding cider that is slowly developing character through gentle oxygen contact. Thatchers Vintage, in particular, benefits from time in these ancient vessels, picking up depth and complexity in much the same way as a fine Bordeaux or Rioja.
The scale of the operation is significant, but what strikes you most is how little of the original farmhouse philosophy has been lost as Thatchers has grown. The care and attention to each stage of production feels as deliberate today as it must have when William Thatcher first filled a barrel in 1904.
An Evening Well Spent
Our tour finished where all good evenings should: with tasting. A selection of Thatchers ciders — each expressing something slightly different about the apple varieties and methods behind it — and then a delicious dinner at the Railway Inn, Thatchers' own pub on the cider house site. It was a wonderful end to a genuinely fascinating evening.
For anyone curious about the craft behind cider, a visit to Thatchers comes warmly recommended. The connections to winemaking — in the importance of raw ingredients, the role of fermentation, and the patience required for maturation — make it as illuminating for wine enthusiasts as it is for cider lovers.