>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."

>> ♪ No, take me home ♪ ♪ Take me home where I belong ♪ >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.

♪ ♪ >> [ Singing indistinctly ] ♪ >> This is a story of adventure, understanding that every step of the journey is vital.

This is the story of Evergood.

♪ >> My name is Liora Levi.

>> And I am Yolanda Añó.

>> Wine is my passion in life.

I am a sommelier traveling the world.

>> And I am a food enthusiast.

>> In each episode, we will travel through the most beautiful wine regions of Europe, selecting three wines that define the area.

>> And we will bring those wines to very talented chefs and challenge them to prepare amazing dishes based off the wine.

>> Will the chefs succeed in making a dish of such a quality that it matches the wine?

It all remains to be seen, as we put wine first.

We are here in gorgeous Hardanger in Norway, my home country, actually.

>> And such a beautiful country.

The show is called "Wine First."

Nonetheless, we are here because of cider.

>> Cider -- actually, hard cider, that is, is a fermented beverage made from apples.

It's a geographically protected area here in Hardanger, and there are 21 producers of Norwegian hard cider, and we'll be visiting 3 of them.

>> No time to lose.

>> Let's go.

Local chef Steinar Rinaldo has accepted the challenge to pair three different regional ciders with three locally grown ingredients.

>> Are you up for it?

>> I'm ready for it.

>> Whether or not he will be successful remains to be seen.

Hardanger is Norway's ultimate fruit garden.

The areas around the fjord are famous for their cider produced through many generations.

The Hardanger-style cider is characterized for its crisp, clean, and aromatic taste.

Most of the area has a perfect microclimate for growing fruits.

The key for growing apples this far north is the light.

The sun almost never sets during the summer months.

Our first stop is Bleie Farm, which is situated below one of Norway's most southern glaciers, Folgefonna.

Fruit farmer Olav Bleie has a clear vision for his farming -- cider first.

We cannot wait to meet him.

What an amazing view you have here.

>> And these houses here -- I'm surprised how charming.

Everything very pristine.

>> It's a house from the early 15th, 16th Century, and it's been on the farm ever since.

>> Working with this view must be -- >> It's one of the perks of doing this job, and I've been running this farm since I took over for my father, and I get used to it, but sometimes, you know, when I've been abroad or come back, even I manage to see the beauty.

>> But we're here on a mission, as you might know.

We're here to find the best cider that the area can show off and match it with amazing local food.

>> I might just have what you're looking for.

>> Really?

The apple harvest has just started, and while an excited Yolanda joins the pickers in the orchard, Olav invites me into the heart of the cidery, where fermentation of the apple juice is well on its way.

Ooh.

>> Yeah, so this is -- >> Super fresh.

>> And what you notice here, it's a lot of kind of tartness and acidity -- a lot.

>> That's the great part about cooler climates, I guess, that you keep acidity so well.

>> This is one of our big strengths in this area.

If you have acid, you have a lot.

So this baby of mine has been working a shorter time.

So it's probably a week into the fermentation.

Let's go ahead.

Let's try it.

>> The color is different, as well.

This is more pinkish.

>> Mm.

That's true.

>> Is it the same type of apple, or is it a different one?

>> It's a different type of apple.

This is kind of a Discovery type.

That might be a Summerred, a Vista Bella, and so on.

So even before blending, you have a big kind of grasp or idea of how you're going to go about the blending.

And the reason I do a blending is that -- say, the Discovery you're tasting now.

It has a very nice tartness, and the Summerred, which I will be picking later this week, brings fantastic acidity and then very kind of pear-y notes and kind of southern fruits.

And when you combine them, it's basically -- you're bringing the best from both worlds.

It's nice to see the transformation from how the apple [sniffs] smells and tastes into how the finished product is about to be.

>> They look amazing to me.

Let's try.

>> Yeah.

[ Both laugh ] >> Yolanda has really been swept away by the lush world of ripe apples.

I do hope she hasn't forgotten her mission to find an ingredient for the chef's challenge.

So what do you have in store for me?

>> We'll start with my... >> Mm-hmm.

>> It's a blend of a Discovery apple and a Summerred.

>> So Discovery was the one that we tasted downstairs?

>> Yeah.

[ Cork pops ] Hey.

>> Thank you.

>> You can feel kind of the apple, how it's been kind of -- still there... >> Yep.

>> ...but with a lot of added complexity.

>> Absolutely.

In grape wine, it's like grapes don't really smell that much.

They don't have so much of an aroma in themselves, whereas apples have a lot of aroma.

>> Have a lot.

[ Smacks lips ] Ah.

>> Mmm.

>> So, here, you see the acid coming back?

It's kind of the thin red line through my production.

>> There's no more sweetness -- well, a tad of sweetness, but it's so much more pronounced with the tartness and the acidity, but it still keeps that amazing flavor of ripe apple.

So what about this other one?

It looks like a smaller bottle.

It looks exciting.

>> Here I've started off with picking perfect ripe apples, make the juice, then I freeze it all solid, and then I kind of take it back out, let it slowly defrost, and the first juice that's coming out is kind of pure, heavenly liquid, more for a dessert experience.

>> [ Chuckles ] I don't need apple cake.

I have this.

>> Actually, in every sip, there's a complete apple.

So five apples a day, five sips of this, you're done.

>> Sounds like a great plan, but what do I choose?

I think this was lovely, but however much I appreciate this one, I think I have to go with the classic one.

It's a reflection of the region so much with the aroma and the flavors of the ripe apples but also, like you said, that you have this little tropical note of sunflowers, and there are lots of different fresh tart flavors there that I really, really would like to show off with a local ingredient.

>> Sounds great to me.

I would love to show this off.

>> Good.

>> I'll bring it to Yolanda, and I'll see what ingredient she comes up with.

>> Great.

>> It'll be great.

♪ I see they've been keeping you busy.

>> Hey.

Hello there.

Yes.

I have my third basket nearly full.

>> We already chose the product.

>> Uh-huh.

>> It's my...cider that's made of around 20% of these apples and 70% of Summerred, which is just in the line over there.

And these apples, they contribute to the taste of my Alde Sider.

♪ >> It's fantastic.

But, you know, I am on a mission, and I have to choose an ingredient to bring to the chef and challenge him to prepare a dish that will pair nicely with your cider.

Now, this might be a little bit too obvious because it's such a good translation.

I don't want to make it too easy for him.

Do you have any other ingredient from around the area that you could introduce me to?

>> I might just have one.

>> Love to try.

>> Dilek, my girlfriend, she went up in the forest... >> Uh-huh.

>> ...and she picked some chantarelles.

>> Oy, I love chantarelle.

Oh, beautiful.

>> Look at these boys.

>> So they grow around here?

>> Yes, they grow right up in the birch forest.

>> Mmm.

Mmm, mmm.

The sponginess, the pepperness.

>> Yep.

>> Mmm.

Very fresh, those.

It has a quite peppery taste, so I'm thinking, since the apple will be such an obvious choice, yeah, I like this more as a challenge for the chef, yeah?

It grows around here.

What grows together, goes together.

But let's see how he can actually manage this peppery taste with such a subtle cider that you have.

I have high hopes.

I have definitely high hopes.

>> A short drive along the fjord takes us to our next stop, Akre Farm, run by Arita and her husband, Gjermund Akre.

What a home.

>> Thank you.

>> How did you end up here, producing cider?

>> I happened to marry a guy, and he inherited his family's farm.

We decided eight years ago that maybe cider is a nice hobby to do, so we just started making it.

And after that, we started winning some awards, and we started taking it very seriously.

And then we moved here.

[ Chuckles ] >> I'm sure you have lots of different ciders.

Do you think you have one that can match our criteria?

>> I would definitely say that I have more than one for you to taste.

>> Arita is committed to creating fine cider.

And at Edel Sider, they ferment the apple juice in large oak casks.

This room is absolutely gorgeous.

It is actually very similar to traditional winemaking.

What is it that makes this area so perfect for cider-making or apple-growing?

>> The environment is one thing.

The weather is very stable here in Hardanger.

In the winter, it's never below minus-17, and in the summer, never above -- >> I think that sounds quite cold.

>> It's very cold.

And then, summer, it's never above plus-30, so it's always stable.

And the soil in the west of the country and specifically here in Hardanger, it's very rich.

It has been lying under glaciers for thousands and thousands of years and has given it amazing character.

That gives the apple trees and the plum trees and all the plants that we have here the nutrition it needs.

>> What is the difference between Norwegian cider -- or, cider from Hardanger in Norway and cider from, for example, France and England?

>> They let the juice oxidize, but here we want to prevent it.

>> We want it to be fresh.

>> We want it to be fresh, exactly.

>> Refreshing and to keep acidity and -- >> Yeah.

>> Time to choose a cider from Arita's hard-cider cellar.

She has a different approach to producing nectar from apples.

I can tell from the very first sip, and I am truly surprised.

This is pink.

>> This is pink, and it's gorgeous.

What we did here is to make our version of a rosé cider, and the color comes from fresh Norwegian raspberries.

Cheers.

>> Raspberries?

Love that.

>> [ Chuckles ] Fresh.

>> Very fresh.

Very fresh acidity, also, and you can also feel those red-berry notes.

>> This is our interpretation of a dessert wine, which is -- in the cider world, we call it ice cider.

We freeze and defreeze the apple juice to make it.

And here we actually take the first, first part that comes out of the defrost process.

So let's taste.

The complexity of it makes it really easy to drink.

>> [ Chuckling ] Whoa.

>> And here it's a big bite of apple.

>> This is fantastic.

This is a big bite of a very fresh and crispy and acidic apple.

My mouth went, like, completely dry for a second there, and then saliva just -- wow.

>> [ Chuckles ] >> So, basically, how much acidity is in here?

Because it's super rich and sweet, but at the same time, it's so refreshing and acidic.

>> I believe the acidity is about 22.

>> Grams per liter.

>> Yes.

>> That's a lot.

>> That's a lot.

>> Like, a normal wine from Germany, let's say a riesling with high acidity might have seven grams of acidity.

>> I mean, the art here is to use the right apples, and here, actually, we have used Aroma apples, the fresh ones.

And also I want them to last while you're drinking it, so we've used the Gravenstein apples.

So most of the apples that are used here are meant to give it the character that is present.

>> Well, it's a hard choice, but, on the other hand, this one, it's just amazing.

It has freshness, it has sweetness, it has acidity, and I can't wait to see what Yolanda's gonna come up with.

Yolanda joins Arita to pick out an ingredient for the chef's challenge.

She's served a full plate of local produce, but one ingredient has already caught Yolanda's eye -- or taste buds, rather.

>> Would you tell me again the name of the plants?

>> So we have here an Excalibur plum and here a Victoria plum.

>> I can see the differences in shape and color, as well.

>> Mm.

>> Mmm.

>> Victoria?

>> I think I'm more for the Victoria.

In a way, you could find similarities with your cider, ice cider.

It is sweet and acidic in very intense measure both ways.

In this case, they really are good contestant.

They are -- who's gonna win the battle?

>> Yeah.

>> And, actually, they just love each other.

So I believe this was a match made in heaven.

All these amazing little ingredients from around this heavenly place.

Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> With two hard ciders and ingredients in hand, it's time for some rest at the beautiful and traditional Utne Hotel.

Fantastically situated by the fjord, it is picture perfect in these surroundings.

Old hotels do, however, tend to house some scary stories.

Don't you just love staying in a gorgeous, old, historical place like this?

>> And it's really beautiful.

>> I don't know if you've heard this, but I've heard that this place is haunted.

>> Haunted?

How?

Tell me about it.

>> Well, I -- don't.

Don't.

Don't sit there.

Apparently, there was this hostess who lived here years and years ago, Mother Utne, and she's the ghost, and this is her chair.

>> Aye.

>> [ Chuckles ] >> Sorry.

>> Luckily, we are not completely alone in this haunted but lovely hotel.

Thomas Kraft has just arrived.

He's a chocolatier with a love for Hardanger, expressed specifically by connecting his two passions, chocolate and apples.

The result is a great combination.

His chocolate is named after Edvard Grieg, the great Norwegian composer who found much of his inspiration from this spectacular landscape.

This is lovely.

I've had so much chocolate with different flavors but never with apple.

>> The problem with a lot of pralines is they're only sweet, so the use of these apples from Norway with the cool climate and everything creates a lot more acidity so you balance off the sweetness of the marzipan in a better way.

>> I guess it's all about chemistry, huh?

>> And flavors.

>> Flavors.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

[ Glasses clink ] >> A new day rises, and we are set to find our third and final hard cider on the other side of the fjord.

Ulvik's Fruit & Cidery is located further inland as far as the fjord can take you.

Here, Asbjorn Borsheim runs a family farm with over 30 years experience of cider production with the Hakastad farm producing more than 20 apple varieties.

Before we decide on the third and final bottle of hard cider, we get to take part in the cider production and taste the raw juice.

Yummy.

But we are here for the final product.

It is time to make our final choice.

>> This is a Gravenstein.

Come to Norway in 1792, and it's what we live on in the 1900.

But there's very much acidity, so it's a good cider, I think.

>> This variety cannot produce cider in other country because it's an eating apple.

>> No, all our eating apple in Norway can produce cider, because it has so much acid.

>> But in only Norway?

>> Yeah, some in Kent also I know about.

>> Kent?

In England?

>> Yes, but not so many other places.

There they grow cider apples.

>> I would say that this is a typical example on a very dry, very crisp, little bit tart and acidic cider, right?

>> Yeah, I think so.

>> This is where you really get that climate.

>> This is my first cider.

I always do Gravenstein.

>> But it does have a little bit of sweetness from apple anyway.

You can really taste apples here.

>> Now we go to the final.

You go on -- a poesider, and this is from what you test out.

>> From the Discovery apples?

When I was a kid, we used to "borrow" apples from our neighbor, and I felt a little bit like I was back in childhood today 'cause I have one here.

>> Yes, and this is the final product.

>> This is the final product?

>> Yeah.

>> From apple to cider.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Ooh.

>> Different?

[ Chuckles ] >> Very different.

Think I got a little bit of CO2 in my nose there.

[ Both chuckle ] Again, very different.

>> Yeah, I like to have different ciders because then I can reach so many people.

>> Mm-hmm.

It has the fruitiness and aroma, but it has the fresh acidity of the Gravenstein.

>> When I am in Gruner Woche in Berlin, they said to me, "Ah, Gravenstein.

Fantastic."

>> So they only eat it, and you make cider of it, and that's what's unique to Hardanger?

>> Yes.

>> But I have to pick one.

I'm gonna go for the first one.

I think it's a nice story about the Gravenstein only being able to be used as a cider apple in Norway, but also I really love the fresh acidity here, the tartness.

>> Have the history -- all with us, the Gravenstein.

>> Excellent.

>> [ Chuckles ] >> Yolanda has also been busy around Asbjorn's cidery, and she has gathered some local produce.

>> Let's choose.

>> Yeah.

>> Mm, tomatoes.

Let's give it a try.

>> Yes.

Mmm.

>> Interesting.

>> Yeah, very interesting.

>> They have a subtle sweetness.

What I find it a little bit challenging maybe for the chef is that tomatoes are full of umami flavor.

Umami is one of the fifth basic flavors in the world, and it was the one that was defined at the latest, and umami is kind of the wholesomeness, of savoriness.

I think that will be a nice challenge for the chef.

>> For the cider?

>> Yes, and for the chef to prepare the perfect dish with this.

>> Okay, thank you.

>> Yeah?

Do you agree?

>> Yes.

>> Fantastic.

>> Okay.

>> Then we have it.

>> Yeah.

>> We have searched high and low for our selections, and it's time to present the ciders to renowned local chef Steinar Rinaldo and to start the tasting ceremony.

Each hard-cider producer will taste and decide if Steinar is successful in matching three local ingredients with the three chosen ciders.

We start off with the Hakastad cider from Asbjorn Borsheim and the chosen tomatoes.

>> Tomato.

[ Chuckles ] So I will really to see if you manage to balance it and not get the flavors of this one lost.

>> I have something local I have made myself so I can put into the course and bring the umami up.

>> Steinar starts off with Yolanda's chosen ingredient -- tomatoes.

He begins by chopping them, making sure to use only the sweet and acidic ones.

Chef Steinar then brings out his secret weapon, the elderberry oil.

>> This is the game changer here in this course.

>> Mm.

>> This is elderflower paired also with apple vinegar.

This is bringing the depth in this course and the sweetness.

>> To top it off, he uses oil made from thyme and tomato water as a finish before he adds smoked mackerel.

Will the dish combine well with the acidic and flowery taste of the Hakastad cider?

Asbjorn doesn't say much, but he seems like he's enjoying it.

I'm eager to hear his verdict later on.

For the second cider, Olav Bleie's Alde Sider, Chef Steinar has decided to pair lamb with the chantarelles.

>> What do you think about my ingredient, chantarelle?

>> Yeah, you know, it's a nice ingredient.

We need to put some acidity into this also.

>> Ah, well.

>> Oh, yeah.

Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I need something with acidity in the course, and maybe I combine this with something else.

>> I'm very curious, yeah?

>> Yeah.

>> Chantarelles can be challenging 'cause of the -- kind of the peppery notes.

He will have a hard time, but let's taste it soon and find out.

>> Chef Steinar has made a stew by combining chantarelles with mustard seeds.

He adds long cuts of carrots baked with maple syrup on the side.

The sauce is his own version of the mole sauce, a Mexican sauce usually made out of chicken broth as well as various chilies and spices.

>> When I combine it with this lamb here, I think it will be perfect.

And with the cider, it could use some of these flavors.

>> Mexicans do chicken mole mostly, yeah?

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> We're in Norway, so why not lamb mole?

>> Lamb mole.

>> Sure.

>> [ Laughs ] >> He combines it all with a lamb to create interesting flavors.

But will the dish work with Olav's cider?

♪ >> So what's happening here, its acidity has -- has certainly been preparing this in a much different way than I would've.

Much different.

>> That might be a compliment.

I'm eager to find out later on.

For our final cider, Arita Akre's Edel Ice Cider, Chef Steinar has decided to turn the plums into a dessert.

>> I want to see how you manage to balance the subtleness of the plums with such an intense beverage.

>> So I need to do something unique with it because this flavor is so hard to balance out.

>> I love plums and I love the ice cider and I love dessert cider, but I don't know how the combination will be.

So whatever he makes up, it's gonna be really exciting.

>> Steinar heats up the plums by torching them to bring the sweetness out of the fruit.

The dessert is ultimately made of baked plums, white chocolate, strawberry, and rhubarb, a complex composition presented in a very cute fashion.

>> I was not expecting that.

[ Chuckles ] The combo is interesting, actually.

>> The meals have been consumed, and it's time for the final verdict.

>> We start off with Asbjorn.

>> It was interesting.

>> Yeah?

>> But I heard about this -- some smoked, and I was a little afraid it was too much smoke.

>> Yeah, I have heard that about this before.

>> But this was perfect.

>> Okay.

>> Combination with my cider -- the best.

>> Thank you.

Thank you.

>> Very good.

Very good.

>> It's time for Arita.

>> We have a complex, acidic, and also a dessert-y kind of cider, which is powerful.

The combo is great for dessert, but pairing together with the ice cider, I must say there was some crashes there.

When I usually get a pairing between the ice cider and a dessert, I get more of a new, complex pairing taste, but here I couldn't manage to find that.

And it's unfortunate, because the dessert was amazing.

The flowers that you used, it had some acidity.

If it was more of it, we would come much closer to the pairing.

>> When a plum is raw, it has more acidity.

When I put heat on it, it will be more sweet.

>> But it got a little bit too sweet compared to the ice cider.

>> Okay, mixed review.

It's time for Olav.

Seems like he will be breaking the tie here.

>> The chantarelle, it has these aspects of peppery notes, and I was curious to see, what can he do and still kind of preserve the delicacy of the cider, that you can feel the fruity notes.

>> Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

>> And when I got your dish, the big question was the sauce.

How will it go?

How will the mole go with the cider?

But, finally, my decision was easy.

>> Mm.

>> It is... an amazing combination.

You've made a main dish that blew my mind.

Thank you very much.

>> Thank you.

Thank you.

>> Two out of three?

Not bad.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> We end with a toast, or "Skol" as Norwegians say, to mark the end of a tasty trip in gorgeous Hardanger.

Hard cider is the nectar of these beautiful surroundings, and we will definitely be back for more.

♪ >> For more inspiration, visit us at winefirsttv.com.

>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."

>> ♪ No, take me home ♪ ♪ Take me home where I belong ♪ >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.

♪ ♪ >> [ Singing indistinctly ] ♪ >> This is a story of adventure, understanding that every step of the journey is vital.

This is the story of Evergood.

♪