Nine Pin Cider Interview & Give-a-Way

Nine Pin Cider is New York’s first farm cidery. I am familiar with them, I’ve used their ciders in seminars at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival but I never had the chance to sit down and talk with them. That all changed last week when I sat down with Benji and Joshua and we talked about all things Nine Pin.

They had sent me a sample in advance of their Cidre Rose which is right up my alley. It’s cider crafted with apples from Samascott Orchard that they co-fermented with the skins of grapes. The grape varietals they used are Concord, Traminette, Chancellor and Noiret from wineries in New York State. The cider is a beautiful pink in color. You can taste hints of the grapes in the cider, it’s subtle, not overwhelming and refreshing. It’s really a beautiful cider, not completely, but now sweet enough to stand out.

Nine Pin Cider is offering a 10% discount to all my readers, listeners, viewers and fans. Ordering is easy from their online store. They ship everywhere! Just choose the correct button to purchase (either you live in NYS or Out of State.) It’s that simple.

In conjunction with Nine Pin we are holding a give-a-way for a $25 Nine Pin gift certificate and a copy of my book “Tapping the Hudson Valley.” Although it says tomorrow in the video/podcast, it’s happening now. Got over to Instagram and follow hvwinegoddess and ninepinsider and tag two friends. The contest will end tomorrow, Tuesday, April 28.

Watch the video or listen to the podcast and learn about Nine Pin Cider. The process of making cider and why they chose an urban location for their tasting room

Video Interview

Podcast

The Wine Goddess Meets the Cider Goddess

 

So what happens when the Wine Goddess meets the Cider Goddess…Goddess’s unite! That is just what happened when I had some time to kill recently between an event in New Paltz and picking up my grass fed beef in Gardiner so I thought I would go check out Brooklyn Cider House. Since Ohioville Road was right around the corner from where I was I just followed it until I came to (and drove past) the sign for Brooklyn Cider House at Twin Star Orchards. I didn’t realize it was located at an orchard, although that does make sense.

Three years ago sister and brother Peter and Susan Yi had a dream of building a cider house in Brooklyn. Peter had 25 years in the wine business, Susan a teacher. They walked away for that all for apples. Cider begins with good apples and the Hudson Valley is the place with the apple orchards. They purchased Twin Star Orchards, revitalized the orchard and have plans of new plantings and created Brooklyn Cider House with plans of opening the cider house in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Peter Yi is the cider maker and Lindsey Storm is the Cider Goddess who left her corporate sales job and joined the Yi’s last year. Lindsay the Cider Goddess is the one who hold everything together and the backbone behind the cider house.

While visiting the Orchard enjoy lunch in the pavilion serving wood fire pizza and burgers on the weekend. Spend your time roaming through the orchard apple picking then stop by the tasting room in the farmstand for a free tasting of their award winning cider. For newcomers in the business their Half Sour Cider won the best cider in the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition, so that is a must try!

I had the opportunity to taste three of their ciders when I visited.

Raw Cider - This cider is a full uncarbonated and was just released. Inspired by the cider tradition in Basque Country this cider undergoes three fermentations with wild and wine yeast. It’s fermented for a total of 18 months. It expressed green apple aromas with a hint of citrus and tart green apples on the palate.

Half Sour - I was looking forward to tasting this award winning cider for the first time (No I didn’t get to taste it at the wine competition.) It ferments for between 6 and 8 moths in stainless steel and clocks in at 5.8% alcohol. It’s carbonated and off-dry, but enough of the acid from the apples balances the sweetness and it quite refreshing. I really enjoyed this glass.

Kinda Dry - This cider is made with eating apples you find at their orchard. Fuji, Gala and Jonamac. It is fermented between 2 and 3 months and has an alcohol content of 5.5%. This was nice, not to dry, hint of sweetness.

As of the writing of this article, you can taste the cider at their main base in New Paltz and the Brooklyn Cider House in Bushwick has plans of opening during New York Craft Beverage Week.

You have to love their slogan #UGLYAPPLESTASTEBETTER.

Bad Seed Hard Cider – Craft Hard Cider Production in the Hudson Valley

Devin Britton & Albert Wilklow

The Hudson Valley is exploding with cideries, wineries, distilleries and breweries.  In this podcast I visit with Devin Britton and Albert Wilklow, two guys in their early 30's who are turning a hobby into a full time business with Bad Seed Hard Cider.

Albert grew up in the local Hudson Valley apple farming industry.  In fact, I use to go apple picking with my kids at his family orchard in Highland, NY "Wilklow Orchards" and to this day still receive the newsletter his mom sends out.  That is where I got my first introduction to fresh cider donunts!  The best! What many people might not realize is the Hudson Valley is a large apple growing region. (If interested, this whitepaper will give you more on the history of apple farming in the Hudson Valley http://bit.ly/1te5IOl)

Cider Sampling

Albert and Devin are childhood friends.  They've been experimenting with hard cider for many years. Devin is the brewer so to speak.  In 2011 they decided to take their hobby into production.

They received their license and began selling in the spring of 2012 at the Fort Greene Greenmarket in Brooklyn.  Now along with the Fort Greene Farmers Market, you can find them at Grand Army Plaza Market on Saturday and Union Square Farmers Market on Wednesday and Saturday.

One year into their venture Manhattan Distributors reached out to them.  That is a huge accomplishment as it is very difficult to get picked up by a distributor.  You can find their ciders throughout New York City distributed through Manhattan Distributors.

Fermentation Tanks

The base of their cider comes from three apples, Winesap, Ida Red and Empire.  They will then mix in some Northern Spy, Braeburn, Pink Lady as well as some others.

The apples that go into their cider can't be to high in sugar and have to have good tannin content.  If the sugar is to high, when fermented, you will loose all the flavor.

Blending Tank

There are between 12 and 14 varieties that go into Bad Seed Hard Cider.  All blended when bottled.

For every 75 gallons of Bad Seed Cider, there are 800 pounds of apples in it. Cider takes approximately 5 months from press to bottle to consumer.

Bad Seed Cider produces three signature ciders, their Dry Cider, Belgian Abby Cider and their Bourbon Barrel Reserve Cider.

 
 The Dry Cider is dry and nicely balanced.

 The Belgian Abby Cider uses a Belgian beer yeast.  It's a cider for people who like Belgian Sours.  It's tart and tangy with sour tart apple tones.

Their Bourbon Barrel Cider is aged in Bourbon barrels for 8 weeks.  This cider is not carbonated.  By aging the cider in the barrels it balances out the acidity, gives it a full mouth feel and keeps more of the cider flavor.  They say "It's not your little sister's cider!"

Asked what is driving the cider explosion, they say it's the generation coming forward today.

Their parents generation is brand loyal. Their generation is NOT. Their generation wants to explore and try new things. They don't go to the store to buy the same thing twice. There is no brand loyalty!

People want to try something new and cider is the NEW and people are excited about it.

They will always have their three core ciders and begin to produce seasonal ciders so people can keep trying new.

When Devin and Albert began in 2012 they began with 2,000 gallons of cider. Today they are producing 20,000 gallons.

Asked about their future projection, they want to grow but keep it craft.  When they can't keep the standards that they want, that is where they will cap it.

Bad Seed Hard Cider is located at 43 Baileys Gap Road, Highland, New York.  The Tap Room is open Saturday from 12-8pm and Sunday 12-7pm. You can find them on the web at http://www.badseedhardcider.com/

It's Cider Week in the Hudson Valley

This week October 16 - 23 is Cider Week.  I always thought cider came in a jug.  It wasn't until people from Ireland moved in across the street from me 14 years ago that I received an education on hard cider. Bulmers and Magners was the cider of choice for Frank and my first introduction to the world of hard cider.  Little did I know - cider was being produced in the Hudson Valley.

New York State is the second largest producer of apples in the nation and the Hudson Valley is the "apple belt".  The Glynwood Organization which began the Apple Project is organization behind Cider Week.  The Apple project promotes the production of hard cider and apple spirits in hopes to preserve apple orchards in the Hudson Valley. The development of the event Cider Week will cultivate the appreciation for hard cider.  There is even a Hudson Valley Cider Trail that promotes regional cider producers.  For a list of cider producers both regular and hard in the Hudson Valley click here.

The hard cider producers that I am familiar with in the Hudson Valley are Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery and Applewood Winery.  I have had, and enjoyed their cider numerous times.

Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery produce Doc's Drafts which is a collection of ciders - Apple, Pear and Raspberry.  All their ciders are 100% fruit and gluten free.

Applewood Winery is the maker of Apple Dave's Stone Fence Cider. Every November, they host the New York Hard Cider Experience.  This year it is November 5 & 6. (Click here for a video of  the first NY Hard Cider Experience)

If you are looking for apple spirits Harvest Spirits in Valatie, NY produces an Cornelius AppleJack which is distilled 3 times and offers a nice smooth taste (I am told)  It is made from 100% Hudson Valley apples grown on their 200 acre fruit farm.  Each bottle is produced from over 60 pounds of fresh grown apples.

Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery also produce a Bourbon Barrel Aged Apple Liqueur.   This liqueur is a slightly fermented sweet Hudson Valley cider blended with their apple brandy and finished and aged in Bourbon barrels.

I am sure there might be a few others out there that I have missed. I will have to spend a day on the Cider Trail and visit them.  Happy Cider Week!

Interview with Jonathan Hull - Applewood Winery

I recently sat down with Jonathan Hull owner/winemaker of Applewood Winery in Warwick, New York. I was very interested in hearing about the history of the Winery and the farm it sits on as well as what brought Jonathan into the world of winemaking. Applewood is the oldest working farm in Orange County and one of the oldest west of the Hudson River.  The history goes back to 1700 when Samuel G. Staats acquired about 5000 acres of land from his friend Governor Bellomont, of the colonial Province of New York. In 1734, 800 acres was purchased by Jacobus Demarest who then in 1863 sold 116 acres to Joseph Roy.  In 1899 the farm passed to James B. Lawrence whose heirs sold it to John E. Predmore in 1921.  In 1949 the farm was purchased by Dr. and Mrs. Donald Hull of Ridgewood New Jersey.   The farm was acquired by his oldest son David who wanted to be a fruit grower.  In 1993 David's youngest son Jonathan opened the winery in a building along the farm lane.

Here are some questions I asked Jonathan when I sat down with him recently.

What made you decide that you wanted to be in the NY wine industry?

                I was living in NYC and had a bottle of Hard Cider made by a lawyer who moved from Brooklyn to Vermont.  I knew exactly what I was going to do for the rest of my life from that moment on.

Which of your current wines is your favorite and why?

Stone Fence Hard Cider, I love it’s simple purity.  100% fresh cider.  Why do all these other wineries botch it up by making it with concentrates, water? brandy etc.

What Riesling is your favorite and why?

Herman Weimer, Dry Riesling, wonderful delicate flavors that come from fermenting with wild yeasts.

What has surprised you most about being a member of the Hudson Valley wine community?

Even though it is every New Yorkers right to be miserable we all work together and have a lot of fun.

Does anyone else in your family share the passion for winemaking?

My cousin is married to Julian Niccolini the owner of the four seasons who has his own wine label and his daughter is in the Wine business in California but I am the only winemaker.

If you weren’t a winemaker what would you be doing?

                Something that actually has a potential to make money.