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WineEast Winemaking The Resurgence of Hard Cider Approaches to commercial cider production in New York and Vermont By Chris Stamp Editor's note: This article is the second in a two-part series about hard cider. The first, written by Linda Jones McKee, focused on the history of cider in North America. A s noted in part one of this series ("Ancient Beverage to Hot New Trend," Wines & Vines' July 2013 issue), hard cider sales have tripled across the United States and Canada during the past five years. In her July 2013 article, Wine East editor Linda Jones McKee discussed why what was once the New World's most-popular alcoholic beverage all but disappeared from this country. This second installment about hard cider, or simply "cider," will focus on the various styles and production techniques. While this article uses "hard cider" and "cider" interchangeably, it is important to note that the U.S. government defines "hard cider" as "a beverage made from fermented apples of less than 7% alcohol." Any drink with alcohol greater than 7% but less than 14% is technically a wine (apple wine, in this case), but the term "cider" is now allowed in place of "apple wine." Federal rules regarding taxation of cider/ hard cider are based on carbonation levels Wine East HIGHLIGHTS • he chemistry of apple juice combined T with consumer habits and expectations present special challenges not ordinarily faced in the production of grape wine. • f apples are too low in sugar, cider makI ers leave them in crates to allow further ripening. • he bubbles in cider can come from T a secondary fermentation or through forced carbonation. • ottle-conditioned cider may be aged for B one to three years before release. 74 W in es & V i ne s SE P T E M B E R 20 13 Apples are harvested for Eve's Cidery, which employs the méthode champenoise style. and alcohol content; therefore, they are an important consideration in product design and price point. Although cider is a fermented beverage not wholly dissimilar to grape wine, there are some important differences. The chemistry of apple juice combined with consumer habits and expectations present special challenges not ordinarily faced in the production of grape wine. Cider makers must contend with a number of factors that make cider less stable or limit the available tools that winemakers typically enjoy. Cider is a low-alcohol beverage, generally ranging from 2% to 8% alcohol. While this lower alcohol content is one of cider's charms, it leaves it more vulnerable to a host of microorganisms. Combined with potentially higher pH levels, high malate content, residual sugar and less tolerance for SO2 additions (due to carbonation and shorter bottle aging), cider makers must exercise great care throughout production to avoid spoilage. Méthode champenoise style: Eve's Cidery Cider makers Autumn Stoscheck and Ezra Sherman own and operate Eve's Cidery in Van Etten, N.Y., where they grow the majority of their fruit on 20 acres of orchard. Of that, 12 acres are 40-year-old trees, many top-grafted to cider varieties. Two acres are eight-year-old cider apples and two are threeyear-old cider apples with the remaining acres planted this year. Total annual yield averages about 5,000 bushels—or 125 tons. Like other craft cider makers I spoke with, Stoscheck and Sherman stress the importance of apple varieties in the quality of the cider. While they grow and use about 60 different varieties of apples, Stoscheck says they have certain "work-horse" varieties. For example, in the early season Ellis Bitter is a major bittersweet blending component. Some other major varieties include Chisel Jersey, Dabbinette, Northern Spy, Golden Russet, Bramley's Seedling and Medaille d'Or. Not all are blended. They produce two varietal ciders: Northern Spy (sparkling) and Kingston Black (still). Stoscheck says that most cider drinkers expect bubbles, and consequently only about 10% of their production is "still" and the rest is sparkling, produced through bottle fermentation. Stoscheck describes her style as "minimalist." As a rule, she adds no sugar to the cider except as primer for the secondary fermentation in the bottle and as dosage at disgorging. Pressing usually occurs immediately after harvest, except on occasion when the fruit is lower in sugar than they like, in which case they leave the apples in crates to allow further ripening, a procedure foreign to grapegrowers. They blend the varieties at pressing to achieve an acceptably low "healthy" pH. Ideally they like to see a pH of 3.0, but sometimes they allow it to go as high as 3.75 for certain varieties. The juice is not settled or clarified, but immediately inoculated with DV10 yeast. Nutrient levels are typically low; to reduce stuck fermentations and potential reduced sulfur problems, they use yeast hydration nutrients and add yeast nutrients to the juice.