Post View of 'Taste the Orchard in Your Glass' Workshop here on 8/16/16...
Autumn's Orchard Cider Manifesto
by Autumn Stoscheck, 2016
Contained within the apple is the potential to express both the characteristics of the varieties used, and the characteristics of the land they were grown on. In this way, cider can be to apples what wine is to grapes, which is to say infinitely complex and varied within the frame work of a defined set of variables, such as variety, soil, and climate.
In order for a cider to be reflective of the fruit, it should use apples intentionally; both in the varieties used and the way the fruit is grown. The cider making process should gently guide the fruit to cider, without leaving such a big hand print that the makers mark obscures the fruit characteristics. It should also be a process of working with the fruit of the season rather than sourcing ingredients to meet the requirements of a formula. The cider maker should be flexible and evolving.
The discipline is about discovery and expressing what's available in the fruit, therefore flavors that obscure the fruit should be avoided. These include: microbiological flavors that overwhelm of detract from the fruit, adjuncts that flavor the beverage like a tea or beer, and additives or processes used to stabilize the cider that diminish, detract or obscure the fruit.
The intention is to keep working with the fruit and discovering it's potential, including understanding the characteristics of different cider varieties and how they like to be grown and fermented. As well, we are committed to building up our own, and a local, supply of true cider fruit so as to create a world in which it becomes apparent to cider-makers and drinkers the characteristics the place brings to cider.