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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 20h

Mystery solved! Kererū poo! Under a large greengage tree at Beau Vista orchard has been continuous poo. I thought possums but trap those and levels low. Then they arrived. 3 beautiful birds who had been hiding from me for weeks. Must roost in the tree at night. #kereru #orchard #NewZealand #Aotearoa

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 1d

At last! -the Tom Putt apples (our first apples to blossom) are about to bud burst. The leaves opened first last week revealing these gorgeous deep crimson flower buds. A late but bountiful Spring. #cider #apples #orchard #Wairarapa #NewZealand

A close up of Tom Putt apple flower bud.

A cluster of 5 apple lower buds. Deep red and tightly closed.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 3d

The orchard is changing rapidly now the days are longer and the temperatures are climbing after a slow start to Spring. We are now peak bluebells. They have put on a great show this year. #bluebells #cider #orchard #Wairarapa

Bluebells naturalising around the apple trees.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 4d

Well that’s a wrap. Winetopia 2025 in Auckland was great. 2 days of fun. Wonderful customers really passionate about how cider is wine. Lots tasted. We had 3 offerings a SV Kingston Black, SV Yarlington Mill, and a mixed Perry. Great networking with winemakers. #Winetopianz #Winetopia2025 #Cider

Our stand at Winetopia Viaduct Convention Centre Auckland 2025.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 5d

Winetopia 2025 in Auckland is a blast. 50 stands of premium wines food and of course cider. We are next to Palliser in the Wairarapa section. Masterclasses and live cover band with dancing. Did I mention a fantastic rendition of Dancing Queen? #winetopianz #Winetopia2025 #cider

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 6d

A good day was had. Now we know a 50 seater bus fits now the drive at TeePee Cider! We hosted a visit by Wellington U3A. Sadly the blossom was late and it rain, rain, rained but with improvisation, a gazebo and a talk, our guests had a good day with cider tastings and good food. #cider #U3A #orchard

Large 50 seater coach on narrow driveway to cidery.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 7d

Our local park has a magnificent conference pear tree in it. Really quite old and majestic for NZ. This year it is looking spectacular with heavy blossoms. Although late probably due to the colder end to winter most early fruit trees like cherry have heavy blooms this year. #pear #Spring #blossom

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 8d

The humble forget-me-not self sets and appears each year at this time around TeePee Cidery. Its scienitific name is Myosotis, a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae from the Northern Hemisphere. Myosotis alpestris is the official flower of Alaska. #cidery #NewZealand #Aotearoa

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 9d

Excellent art on cider and what it’s made from. Spoiler alert not often 100% apples. #cider www.forbes.com/sites/felipe...

How EU Policy Affects Small, High-Quality Cider Makers

There is no E.U. wide definition for cider. Poor policy and competing interests are hurting smaller, high-quality producers and apple farmers across the continent.

www.forbes.com

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 10d

At last! The leaf buds of Tom Putt, our earliest cider apple trees at Beau Vista orchard are opening. No sign of blossom yet though and most varieties are still dormant. #apple #cider #Wairarapa #Aotearoa #NewZealand

New leaves unfurled revealing the blossom bud in the centre.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 11d

Here is one of the pear trees. The main orchard is still bare.

The perry pear tree in blossom. You can see the main orchard behind still bare.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 11d

A curious start to the year in the orchard. Whilst most established trees are late to bloom, now about 3+ weeks late, a few of our younger pear trees about 5 years are in full bloom!
Yesterday was warm and sunny and even the honey bees came over to celebrate. #perry #orchard #cider
#NewZealand #pear

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 12d

Move over daffodils; it’s bluebell time. Although our equinox’s winds batter them, they are doing well. They self propagate so its nice seeing bunches appear as well as replanting the bulbs. There are a few white ones but the pink ones have not flowered. #bluebells #orchard #Apples #NewZealand

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 13d

This is our oldest Shropshire sheep. She is about 13 years old. We have had her now for 10 years at Beau Vista orchard. She is losing condition and some weight but is still the leader of the others that joined our small flock later. And always happy to see us. Just eating grass 😍. #orchard #sheep

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 14d

In 1922, Beatrix Potter’s 2nd book of nursery rhymes was published by Warne, some from old material. He made changes, including that Cecily's apples become into cowslips and that the barrels of cider be turned into cowslip wine. Photos of the original with cider and revised. #cider #rhymes

Cicely Parsley the rabbit making cider from apples.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 15d

The perry blossom in opening fast now even in this atrocious weather. Second photo in 1 day later and the 3rd photo is 3 days later! Is 3 weeks late already so perhaps trying to catch up! 😉 #perry #blossom #flowering #orchard #Spring2025

One day later first blossoms have opened.

3 days after first image, most blossoms now open.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 15d

(Alt) Text is a text description of images and is important in social media making it accessible to all users. It is not visible on the page but can be seen by people with low vision etc who use screen reader software. And of use to you, as it allows search engines to find and rank your content!

Pictures of a pear pear at bud burst; on the left the alt text has been added and the icon has changed to ‘added’ state. On the right text is still to be added by tapping in the icon.

Again a split image of what a low vision person would find; the left hand image on a plane landing without alt txt added would be read by a reader as “img…1234”, the right hand image with alt txt added as “Airplane landing”, much more informative!.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 16d

Wet day at the orchard. It’s been raining a lot over several days due to a NW atmospheric river. The rivers are high but not flooding. Most of the rain is on the western side of the Tararua ranges and we are to the east. #climate #wairarapa #rain #Aotearoa #NewZealand #Spring #meteorology

Wet day in Wairarapa looking over a nature reserve pond pond near TeePee Cider looking at the Tararua ranges.

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 17d

Our ‘other’ perry pear is just starting its blossoming. Called Carterton after our nearby town in it’s a very old wilding found in the rural area East Taratahi. Beautiful pink! Small tannic pears with high sugar last year 1.076 SG I have high hopes. #perry #orchard #blossom #nzcider #cider #pear

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 18d

I love the light green lime colour of new leaves on the willows in Spring. It only lasts for a few days before darkening. Spring is a time of such change when plants nearly dormant wait patiently though Winter until their cue to burst forth. #nature #leaves #willow #Spring

Weeping Willow in a field close to Beau Vista orchard

New lime green leaf on the river bank control willows planted along the Taipaitangata stream in front of Beau Vista orchards. Still snow on the high ranges

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 19d

And the weather’s sting in the tail. Heavy frost this morning. Some reports of -4C. Jack Frost. So glad the apple and pear blossom is unusually late this year so will not affect the fruit set. #frost #weather #cider #apple #pear #orchard #wairarapa #Aotearoa

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 20d

Apple AI offered to designed an emoji for me. I was skeptical at first and thought what the heck I will give it a go. It turned out OK I think. Wassail. #cider #cidermaker #emoji

TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 21d

Best way to pour bubbles? Infrared imaging shows pouring into a tilted glass flute has significantly less impact on the dissolved CO2. Pouring a sparkling wine straight down a flute produces turbulence and traps air bubbles, both of which force dissolved CO2 to escape more rapidly from the wine.

Infrared imaging showing CO2 escaping from a tilted versus an upright flute. Photo credit Gérard Liger-Belair Collection CIVC/ Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 22d

For bubbles champagne needs nucleation points overcome surface tension. These were glass faults however the better the glass the less imperfections! So makers etch them in - up to 20 points creating a ring at the base which produces columns of rising bubbles. #champagne #method #cider

Bubbles in a flute and nucleation points Photo credit Gérard Liger-Belair Collection CIVC/Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne)

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 23d

As owners of a small cider company, Frances and I do literally everything with the help of a few good friends. The jobs are not all glamorous like picking and pressing apples. Here is us labelling and boxing up the cider bottles. #cider #work #nzcider teepeecider.co.nz

Cider bottles with labels and foils applied

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