The brainchild of Jay Berriman and his wife Lyn Hamilton, Berriman's Cider was one of five cideries to earn medals in the ciders and perries class at the awards held in Wellington last week.
"We are really thrilled to get the recognition and the confirmation that we're definitely on the right track," Mrs Hamilton said.
Hailed around the world as an alternative to wine, cider was fast establishing a niche locally, she said.
"It's something new to the New Zealand palate, but I think it's going to be really popular."
For Mr Berriman - a Bristol native who struggled to find a decent cider to tantalise his tastebuds in the southern hemisphere - Berriman's Cider was born out of necessity.
"He [Jay] heard about these two guys in Invercargill making really good beer and followed the muddy track to their shed," she said.
"He came home really excited about making his own cider and it just all grew from there."
It was the beginning of a successful relationship with father and son team Gerry and Steve Nally, of Invercargill Brewery, who now brew Berriman's Cider.
"Invercargill Brewery's space, expertise and guidance has been fantastic.
"They allow us to make our cider in traditional fashion . . . still pressing the apples," Mrs Hamilton said.
Mr Nally believed passion was instrumental in a cider's success.
"Jay's a very enthusiastic cider drinker - he has that all-important passion.
"Cider is very much an up-and-coming beverage. It's got its own funkiness, but still retains that lovely traditional aspect to it as well."
Tradition was a key ingredient in the cider - the couple have established their own English cider apple orchard in Arrowtown, with the aim of making vintage ciders once the trees mature.
"Settlers into Arrowtown would have planted their own apple trees and created cider - we're just reviving something that happened in the early days," she said.
