Cider finds its true voice at the dinner table, where a range of styles can pair with any kind of food. We crafted the following four bottlings with this in mind: blending, aging and finishing them differently to achieve ciders that will complement any occasion.
Dry Lightly Sparking
Made from a base of Jonamac, Golden Delicious, Idared and Empire apples from 50+-year-old trees, with some organic Goldrush, Liberty and other varieties from our younger plantings. The 2015 crop had excellent brix (sugar) levels and some intriguing aromatic qualities. Jonamac provides the aromatic high notes with an appley, floral character while Idared and Golden Delicious play the bass notes of body and acidity. The dry sparkling was gently carbonated in bulk stainless steel tanks before bottling.
Color & texture: Straw-gold with fine bubbles.
Aroma: Green apple skin with grassy notes and hints of honeysuckle, rose petals and tropicals.
Flavor profile: Sharp, zesty with a medium body and finish.
Food pairing: Rich creamy cheese, charcuterie, sausage, pork, shellfish and other seafood.
Semi Dry Lightly Sparkling
Made from a base of Idared, Golden Delicious and Empire apples from 50+-year-old trees, plus Goldrush, Liberty and Crimson Crisp from six-year-old organic plantings. Late-harvest Golden Delicious from our older, unirrigated trees provides a wonderful base cider. The fruit are unusually sweet, without lacking acidity, and have a honeyed aroma. Carbonated in bulk stainless steel tanks and sweetened with 20 g/l of unprocessed cane sugar before filtration and bottling.
Color & texture: Straw-gold with fine bubbles.
Aroma: Floral and fruity with citrus, summer and fall fruits, apple pie.
Flavor profile: Fine-tuned balance of fruity sweetness and tartness, medium bodied with a smooth finish.
Food pairing: Enjoy as an aperitif or pair with roast chicken or duck, blue cheese, aged cheddar, and dessert.
Dry Still HEIRLOOM Blend
Heirloom fruit from our young plantings, including Esopus Spitzenberg, Roxbury Russet, Ashmead’s Kernel, Northern Spy, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Jonamac. The 2015 crop had excellent brix (sugar) levels and aromas. This cider was destined to be bottle conditioned, but we loved its simplicity and honesty so much that we bottled it with no carbonation, and it’s bone-dry.
Color & texture: Straw-gold, still, with a light mouthfeel.
Aroma: Grassy and herbaceous, predominant green apple skins.
Flavor profile: Zesty and savory, delicate and medium-bodied. Some have compared it to unoaked chardonnay.
Food pairing: Goat’s milk cheese, beet salads, grilled summer vegetables, shellfish, halibut, or sole.
Dry Bottle Conditioned, Naturally Sparkling Heirloom Blend
This cider undergoes five months of bulk aging and over six months in the bottle. Heirloom fruit from our young plantings, including Esopus Spitzenberg, Roxbury Russet, Ashmead’s Kernel, Northern Spy, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Jonamac. It’s fermented to dryness, aged in tank, then bottled with a small amount of cane sugar to restart fermentation in the bottle and produce a light natural sparkle.
Color & texture: Hazy straw, unfiltered, fine bubbles and silky mouthfeel.
Aroma: Green apples under the tree in the fall, hayfields and pear.
Flavor profile: Tart, rich and savory.
Food pairing: Smoked meats, ribs, braised or roasted pork, mushrooms, stinky and ripe cheeses, rustic French, Italian and Spanish home cooking.