Linked by a shared love of natural wine, this small group of friends set out to create their own natural expression in a predominantly grape-free but fruitful land. With seemingly more apple trees than humans and a cultural history of wild fruit gathering, Brutes has combined the two with their winemaking inspiration to create “cider” that aims to blur the lines between cider and wine.

Just outside Stockholm, on the islands of Lake Mälaren, the apples and pears are hand-picked from old orchards, most of which have been forgotten but luckily have not been abandoned. The fruits are crushed and then macerated for different lengths of time before being pressed.

The maceration gives the cider structure and body, similar to wine, especially "orange wines".

This approach can produce something well thought out on its own or provide a solid base that can be flavored with wild fruits (sloe, blueberry, crabapple) and other garden fruits (pear, cherry, quince, aronia). Each vintage brings a refinement and new exploration with this huge range of fruits, hoping to create something that stays true to the terroir but is also fun and unique.

Everything is fermented wildly, nothing in, nothing out. It's alive, matures over time, goes through various stages, and eventually finds its sweet spot.