While many people think of Fall as the cider drinking season, we enjoy cider year round. We do agree, however, that it's the season to think about what goes in to a real cider. Good apples, that is, and this is the time of year when our cider makers are busy pressing fruit for next year's crop of new ciders. Many are also out in the orchard - though warm weather this year means the harvest was a bit early for our American friends, and most of their fruit has already been collected.
Some of our producers are also busy harvesting perry pears wherever they can find them, trying to collect enough to create a full batch (we're told that there may be a shortage of English perry pears next year, so if you want to ensure supply, grab this year's perry vintage).
It's easy to forget the importance of terroir in cider - that each year brings a new tank of juice and a good cider maker will highlight the best flavors of each tank, resulting in balanced, unique, ciders that change from year to year. Right now, we're enjoying the fruits of last year's labors, so to speak, and look forward to what the harvest will bring.
West County Cider
Colrain, Massachusetts
It's been 3 years since we received our first batch of West County Ciders from our friends the Maloneys, who live just down the road in Franklin County, and we are very excited that they had some to share with us this year. We now have very small quantities of their Redfield, Reine de Pomme, and Roxbury Russet ciders available.
West County Ciders are made from fruit grown on the family's own orchard, just outside their home, and they stand out because of the simplicity of their ingredients: whole apples, a little yeast, and a bit of sulfite. Each cider is different in flavor and aroma (also, the red flesh of the Redfield apple lends this cider a bright pink color like no other) thanks to the skilled hands of the cidermakers, blending to highlight the many varieties of traditional and non-traditional cider apples they care for.
Le Theil sur Huisne, Normandy, France
Cider isn't the only thing we're drinking year round, and though Cidrerie Traditionnelle du Perche makes some excellent French cidre, their poiré is one of our favorites. Poiré is made just like cider, except with pears selected expressly for the job. This one is made from classic pears grown in the orchard onsite, in the heart of the picturesque Perche Regional Nature Park, using organic techniques (the orchards are in the process of being certified). At only 4%, it's the perfect aperitif, and also very complex. Floral and really aromatic, drink it with food or just in lieu of lunch.
Making cidre at Cidrerie Traditionnelle du Perche
Warwickshire, England
If you're looking for a classic draught cider that people will get hooked on - this bright, lightly carbonated cider fermented from 100% fresh pressed English cider apples is the way to go. No apple concentrate is used and no sugars are added prior to fermentation, so it's complex and delicious.
At 4.5% abv, it is medium dry with a distinctive, appley aroma and some peaty notes. An abundance of classic cider apple tannins and a pleasing complexity seal the deal.
Ross-on-Wye, England
Halleförs, Sweden
Mead isn't a cider, it's just on our minds at the moment. While spending time with our new friend Michael Kiker of Celestial Meads at the Mazer Cup - the largest international mead competition in the world- in Colorado earlier this year we got to know and love mead, specifically these Swedish meads. We decided that we had to share them. While artisanal meads already have very regional flavors, Mjödhamnen's process is one of a kind. Their "mobile meadery" is actually a converted RV that they drive to different apiaries (the places where beehives are located) around their home base of Stockholm, crafting meads from local honeys harvested onsite. Each honey is naturally very different, because the bees are pollinating locally available flowers, and the resulting meads are brilliant. If you've never had a dry mead before, these are definitely the people to go to. We promise they are like nothing you have ever had before.
For all you Swedish speaking mead lovers out there...introducing Mjödhamnen!
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