Old Vine Apple Cider ??

Interesting article in F&W by RayIsle on old-vine vnyds:
OldVineVnyds

As I was reading it, I came across a paragraph lamenting (sort of) the loss of all the old-tree apple orchards in SonomaCnty as they were replaced w/ the far more profitable wine grape vnyds.

It is well-known the reverence many winemakers have for these old-vine vnyds as producing superior wines. The thought occurred to me, w/ the blossoming of the market for craft ciders, do these cidermakers have the same reverence for old-tree orchards in making their ciders?? Or is there any emphasis in varietal labeling of these craft ciders? So that they could charge more for their craft ciders?? Or are these cidermakers schmucks and haven't learned what their winemaker brethern learned long ago??

Curious minds and all that.
Tom

I dunno about old vines/trees, Tom, but I remember having some cider in Sonoma County that was varietally labeled (Gravenstein), and there's a farm in Michigan that sells a lot of fruit and cider in Chicago, and during apple season they have varietal as well as blended ciders available -- it's interesting to taste across their whole range!

(I wouldn't be surprised if old trees weren't valued. My in-laws have an old Meyer lemon tree that had been frost-stressed a couple of decades ago -- almost killed -- but it survived, and it now produces fruit that is way more aromatic than any Meyer lemons I've ever had.)

Tom wrote: “…. cidermakers have the same reverence for old-tree orchards in making their ciders??

They sure do! Some craft cider makers seek out not just old but feral apple trees, and in some cases rediscovering long lost cider apple varieties. At one time cider flowed more freely than water in this country. Apple varieties are divided into different classes (1) Eating or table apples (2) culinary apples and (3) cider apples. In Colonial America most everyone was a “Gentleman farmer” and over the years the cider apple varieties they planted in their orchards and gardens were lost or just forgotten about. Cider and culinary apples are usually smaller and ugly looking and not very pleasant tasting to most people, as one cider producer proclaims- “apples with attitude”. So today to be profitable with apples most stick with the eating or table varieties.

The following links might be of interest
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/m ... toe-butte/

http://www.applesearch.org/

Salute

Just this Saturday, I visited Tilted Shed Cider in Windsor. DEFINITELY an emphasis on varietal labeled ciders-and quite a few interesting other "processes" (smoking, barrel aging, etc.) Kind of like a combination of wine geekery and craft beer's search for ever more unique ways of making their product!

Tom,

Yes, there are makers (and visionaries) who understand that we need those old apples back. Currently, the work is being done mostly by individuals, some of whom are associated with cideries.

Here are some of the most prominent folks:
John Bunker - http://www.ellsworthamerican.com/living/living-food/maine-apple-guru-hunts-down-old-local-varieties/
Todd Little-Siebold - http://www.pressherald.com/2015/09/14/hunt-is-on-for-maines-lost-apple-varieties/
Colin Davis - http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/article/2015/09/29/tinmouth-apple/

Jeff

Here is a place at the southern edge of the Finger Lakes making some good ciders:
https://www.evescidery.com/place/our-orchard/

And another place you might look for old apples is in an old cemetery, like this one near me: http://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/2017/proper-cider-green-wood-cemetery/

And another place you might look for old apples is in an old cemetery, like this one near me: http://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/2017/proper-cider-green-wood-cemetery/

Let's hope the cider made from the cemetery apples are not expressing terroir .....