Nine Pin Cider Works, a craft cider company in Albany, New York, producing hard cider from Capital District and Hudson Valley apples, has become the first licensed farm cidery in The Empire State.
Last October, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation establishing a new license for farm cideries to increase opportunities for this growing agricultural industry. Under a new law, cideries like Nine Pin are able to operate a tasting room where they are able to sell their product by the pint, enabling them to more immediately reap financial rewards. This fact was a significant draw for the del Peral family as they chose to apply for the new license.
"The cider-making process represents the incredible spirit of where the apples are grown. New York State's climate gives apple producers an outstanding environment to grow great apples for cider making. It's an incredible honor to become the state's first licensed cidery here in Downtown Albany under the new Farm Cideries Law. We applaud Governor Cuomo for his dedication to making New York open to business to hard cider producers such as Nine Pin," said Alejandro del Peral, cidermaker, Nine Pin Cider Works.
Operated by the del Peral family, "the company's products deliver a crisp, refreshing taste using farm fresh fruit including apples grown from seed on the del Peral family farm," the Governor's Office said. In 2013 Alejandro del Peral perfected his own cider blend, winning a gold medal at the Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition. His winning, noncommercial cider is called Catskill Thunder.
In addition, the limit on the alcohol content for cider has been raised from 7 percent to 8.5 percent, thereby addressing the vagaries of the fermentation process. Most significantly, if a cider producer's product meets the definition of both hard cider and wine, the law affords the producer the choice of whether the product will be marketed and sold as wine or cider, based on their individual business and marketing needs. The new farm cideries also have privileges beyond the traditional cidery license, and may offer tastings of, and sell not only cider, but also beer, wine, and spirits made from New York products.