When in Apple Country, Drink Cider--Within a 45 Minute Drive of ROC

No one is sure when or where it began or who discovered that fermenting apple juice was delicious, but 3,000 years ago there were apple trees along the Nile River, and the Egyptians were notable beer and wine drinkers. After the Romans found cider in Britain in 55 BC, large scale production really took off.

In early America it was the drink of choice. Benjamin Franklin said, “It’s indeed bad to eat apples; it’s better to turn them all into cider.” William Henry Harrison won the 1840 presidential election as the “Log Cabin and Hard Cider Candidate,” and gave out free cider to his supporters. John Adams started his day with a tankard of cider and lived to be 90 years old.

Yes, there are some health benefits to drinking cider regularly, though, at 3 to 12 percent alcohol, drinking a daily breakfast tankard isn’t recommended in this article. All real cider, hard and not, is produced by crushing whole apples. It contains lots of Vitamin C for the immune system and more antioxidants than tomatoes or green or black tea to fight free radicals. It’s 100 percent juice, unlike processed apple juice at the grocery store; it has no fat or gluten; it has no cholesterol and, in fact, contains pectin which reduces cholesterol. There is no added sugar in real cider, but there is a substantial amount of natural sugar, and one 8-ounce glass is about 110 calories.

Ancient ciders were made with crabapples making them tart and bittersweet. As exploration and trade ensued across Europe and parts east, more common, sweeter apple varieties were shared, cultivated, and utilized to produce this popular alcoholic beverage. Today, with 7,500 varieties of apples available, new generations of family farmers have rediscovered heirloom and cider apples and are also making hard cider from culinary apples like Golden Delicious and Gala.

Rochester is surrounded by multi-generational fruit farms, and many specialize in apples. If they don’t make their own cider, they likely sell to people who do make it, creating opportunities all around us to drink local, smaller production ciders. I recently visited some cideries within a 45-minute drive of the South Wedge and tasted some of their specialties.

For 100 years Schutt’s Apple Mill, 1063 Plank Rd., has been growing apples in Webster. Known for its sweet, fresh-pressed cider, fourth-generation great-grandson Evan Schutt began making hard cider two years ago. Their store has a new, expanded tasting room that also carries other local ciders to try. Schutt’s own Fried Cake cider is “fall” in a glass with familiar seasonal spices over apples and a fried cake flavor finish. This is sweet—a dessert or holiday cider for grown-ups—and made with Ida Reds, Empire, and Rome apples.  Schutt’s more traditional offering is Great Grandpa’s Grog “Relic.” It’s light and refreshing with an off-dry finish. Made from Crispin and Pinata apples, the flavors are more subtle, balanced, and classic, slightly tart.

Also east of Rochester, in Williamson, Rootstock Ciderworks, 3274 Eddy Rd., was founded by David DeFisher in 2012. Rootstock is part of DeFisher Fruit Farms, which harvests 500 acres of orchards and is in its fifth generation of family farmers. The cidery uses all-natural local ingredients and is the first post-Prohibition farmstead cidery in the region. The tasting room is beautiful with an indoor tasting bar and outdoor seating. The 2017 Heritage, made from Rhode Island Greening apples, is fresh with a clear apple taste, a hint of pear, and a slight floral finish. The 2016 Legend Barrel-Aged is made from a blend of heirloom apples and aged for at least a year in French and American oak barrels. It’s whiskey-like in its complexity and character: apples with some dark spice and leather, a fall and winter sipper. The 2017 Rose is a lovely blend of Rhode Island Greening and Cortland apples and the Austrian Blaufrankisch grape (sourced from Leonard Oakes Winery.) Slightly effervescent, it’s wine-like with flavors of strawberry, red berries, and melon with a dry finish.

On the west side of Rochester, Blue Barn Cidery, 928 Manitou Rd. in Hilton, was established in 2017, but is part of a 200-year old family farm business currently known as Green Acres and West Wind Fruit Farms. The facility itself, the Blue Barn, is marketed for weddings and events. On the Sunday I was there, at least three parties were going on simultaneously. There is a large tasting bar that also offers other beverages from area wineries and breweries. I tasted three Blue Barn ciders. The Westcider, a blend of six apples, had a very slight floral note to it, but was otherwise not distinctive. The Jostaberry Jam, which the server said was the most popular cider, was sweet with currant flavors and reminded me of red fruit punch. The Pop the Bubbly cider was supposed to be slightly effervescent and have a “Champagne” quality. Unfortunately, this taster may have been open too long because it was flat and had an unpleasant minerality. Perhaps they are still experimenting with flavors and fermenting, but, overall, these samples lacked the complexity of many other ciders that I’ve tried. 

All three cideries produce all-natural beverages using home-grown and local-grown ingredients, including other fruits from their orchards and farms. For more information, visit their Facebook pages or websites: www.schuttsapplemill.com, www.rootstockciderworks.com,  and www.bluebarncidery.com.

This article appears in the October/November 2019 issue of The WEDGE newspaper

A Visit to the Lake Ontario Wine Trail

This article was originally published in the August/September 2017 issue of THE WEDGE newspaper

Feel like getting out of the city for a day? The Lake Ontario Wine Trail (lakeontariowinetrail.com) has wineries, cideries, a distillery, shopping, and dining without the traffic in the Finger Lakes. Stops span three counties, but the trail is a close and easy drive through orchard country.

Joined by friends Diane and Bill from Walworth, we headed for a couple of new stops and revisited others along the trail.

Since they live off of Route 441, our first stop was JD Wine Cellars (jdwinecellars.com) at Long Acre Farm in Macedon. Owner Joan Allen told us that the farm began with her husband Doug’s grandfather, a traditional farmer in the 1920s, with dairy cows and standard produce. His son moved away from the dairy farming to focus on cash crops like corn.

Today Long Acre Farm is a popular family-friendly destination with the farm market, ice cream stand, children’s educational and play activities, hosting weddings, live music events, and new food menu. According to Joan, a fourth generation is coming on deck with new wine and food experiences.

Joan and Doug opted to add grape vines to their fruits and vegetables repertoire in 2010. The results have been tasty and award-winning.

We began our tasting with the Dry-Riesling with flavors of citrus, light apple, and lime. Next we tried Traminette with crisp, lime flavors and floral qualities which would be good with herbed chicken.  The Trilogy is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot that is smooth, slightly tart and has a hint of black pepper. Cranberry Riff is a 100 percent cranberry wine that tastes like cranberry juice with a kick and would be an excellent holiday wine for sipping or punches. JD Wine Cellars expects to release three new wines in the coming weeks.

Our second stop was the Old Goat Cidery (see their Facebook page,) which opened in June, at the Apple Shed Farm Market in Newark. Since 1907 Maple Ridge Farm has produced fruits and vegetables. Three generations later, in 1973, Gary Wells and wife Barb put up the landmark Apple Shed and cider mill. Now their son Matt and his wife Jessica are at the helm of the new cidery, and Gary is master cider maker. With 30 varieties of apples grown on the farm, flavor and combination prospects are exciting.

The day we visited, five ciders were on the tasting menu. Old Goat’s Heritage is a dry cider made from heirloom apples with just a hint of sweet flavor that would be good with a fish fry, a pasta salad, or a Waldorf salad. Bearded Old Goat, a gluten-free cider made with New York cascade hops, is off-dry with floral qualities. Macintosh apples blended with New England cranberries give Berry Old Goat its combination of sweet and tart flavors and pink color. Gary blends cider with New York apple blossom honey to make Sweet Mama Goat, his personal favorite. The last offering, Old Goat’s In-Law is a very limited batch cider in which Golden Delicious sweet cider from the Apple Shed ferments in oak bourbon barrels, semi-sweet, a nice sipper with flavors of apple, wood, caramel, and fall swirling in the glass.

Jessica noted that the cider bar itself is a piece of farm history, made from barn planks and old apple cider presses. The stain on the wood is, of course, apple cider.

Joan Allen welcomes visitors to JD Wine Cellars for tastings of their award-winning wines. 

Colloca Estate Winery (colloca.com) in Fair Haven was the relative new-comer on the trail. Dr. Christopher Colloca began purchasing parcels of Lake Ontario acreage in 2008 where he has planted Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Riesling. His Sicilian great-grandfather and grandfather made wine in their basements. Driving back and forth to college in the Finger Lakes and discussions with his older brother sparked Dr. Colloca’s interest in the wine industry. He began pulling pieces together for his own family winery as he traveled throughout the world for his chiropractic business.

Eventually connections in Australia enabled him to source and bottle bolder, warm-weather reds there under the Colloca Estate label and ship them to his New York tasting room. Today his initial 12-acre plot has grown to more than 100 acres, and he is continually expanding the services and attractions. There is a large tasting room, store and an outdoor barbeque area. The winery also hosts estate tours, several festivals, live music, weddings and corporate events.

Tastings on this day included a Dry Riesling with hints of lemon followed by the medium-bodied Riesling, a 2015 Double-Gold winner in a Finger Lakes competition. We tasted an estate Chardonnay that starts with crisp apple flavors and softens on the finish. For reds, we tried a classic Pinot Noir, with light spice and flavors of cherries and the Australian Old Vine Grenache that was smooth with lots of red berries, light spice, and slightly sweeter than expected.

All three stops on the Lake Ontario Wine Trail offered some sort of food menu, whether for lunches, dinners, or special events. We opted for the newly-renovated Mill Street Tavern in Sodus for lunch and,  since we were making a day of it, Dockers in North Rose on Sodus Bay for dinner. Mill Street Tavern serves up tasty burgers and sandwiches and had a full house for lunch. Dockers’ menu was Italian-American with generous portions and a choice of indoor or outdoor seating with views of the marina and bay.

There are other wineries to try, as well as antique shops and farm markets along the trail, so leaving in the morning and returning after dinner offers a lot of options for pacing and spending the day. The Lake Ontario Wine Trail and many of the wineries host special events throughout the year, which are posted on individual websites and Facebook pages.

Article and all photos by Glynis Valenti

Feature Article: Paso Robles

Above: Paso Robles actually experiences two types of climates. One is dictated by the hot, dry weather of the high California desert. The other is more “Mediterranean,” influenced by the Pacific Ocean 25 miles to the west.  In general, the area only gets about 14 inches of precipitation annually.

Before Nicholas Longworth planted the vines along the Ohio River that would make Ohio the top wine producer during the nation’s first century, Franciscan monks were planting grape vines in an area of California called El Paso de Robles (The Pass of the Oaks.) Their first vineyards in the late 1700s also predated Napa Valley’s to the north, now world-class wine country. 

For some reason Paso got a slow start in the wine industry, not cultivating on a commercial scale until 1882, and it was Andrew York, from Indiana, who got the ball rolling then by turning his apple orchards into vineyards. This original commercial winery is now York Mountain Winery. By this time Ohio’s wine business had flourished and died after the Civil War took over the labor force, disease destroyed much of the wine crop and murmurs of temperance grew louder. Some of Napa’s well-known names had established successful vineyards by the end of the 1870s: Krug, Schramsberg, Beringer and Inglenook. It may be that Paso’s enterprises focused on other assets—like sulphur springs.

The Salinan Indians inhabited the Paso region for thousands of years and called it “The Springs.” The area was part of the Mexican land grant called Rancho Paso de Robles, which included the Camino Real. The aforementioned Franciscan monks had also built baths utilizing the springs. The land, more than 25,000 acres, was purchased in 1857 by Daniel and James Blackburn for $8,000, and they developed the springs further as a rest stop for travelers.

The first hotel featuring a bath house with hot springs was constructed in 1864, and people from neighboring states, the Pacific Northwest and the south came to Paso for “the waters.” Drury James, the third partner with the Blackburns, was outlaw Jesse James’ uncle. Jesse James stayed with his uncle for a time and used a local cave as a hideout when the law came looking for him. That cave is located on what is now Peachy Canyon Winery. 

Twenty-two years after the original hotel was built, Paso Robles became a new stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Leaders platted an actual town and held a land auction. A new hotel with a golf course and other amenities catered to wealthier visitors seeking hot springs treatments. In 1914 a renowned pianist, Ignace Paderewski, received springs treatments for arthritis at the hotel and was able to resume his concerts. More notable visitors followed over the next three decades: President Theodore Roosevelt, members of the Hearst family, actors (Clark Gable, Douglas Fairbanks and Bob Hope among others) and sports teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates.

At the beginning of the 20th century, more families settled in the area and planted grapes, primarily Zinfandel and Petit Syrah, of which some vines are still producing today. One of those settlers was Paderewski the pianist/composer, whose award-winning wines help establish the area’s credibility and reputation. Today there are more than 250 wineries in the 614,000 acres of the Paso Robles AVA (American Viticultural Area) growing 25 varieties of grapes. This area is known mainly for its reds, with 39 percent of the grapes Cabernet Sauvignon; 14 percent Merlot; 9 percent Syrah; 8 percent Zinfandel; 16 percent are Petit Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Petit Verdot and other reds. Paso Robles was named Wine Enthusiast magazine’s “Wine Region of the Year” for 2013. 

Three wineries this writer visited have different histories and environments, but all are focused on producing quality wines.

Sextant Wines farms 486 acres of vines in the Paso Robles (114 acres,) Edna Valley and San Lucas AVAs in California. Owners Craig and Nancy Stoller established Sextant in 2004. Stoller’s family owns a nursery that specializes in importing and growing European grape vines to supply to growers here. He decided to try harvesting and making use of the grapes that grew on the stock vines, which led to developing his own winery, now producing 30,000 cases per year.

The Sextant label produces mostly reds but also make Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc and Albarino. The red selection includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, GSM (a Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre) and a Marselan (a French grape of Cabernet Sauvignon crossed with Grenache.) Their wines receive regular praise from Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator.

The “stand-out” wines from the tasting included the 2012 Marselan, which was earthy and reminded this writer of a red Burgundy-style wine; the 2010 Caverio GSM, which was Grenache-based, spicy and was soft enough to be food-friendly; the 2010 Passage GSM, with rich, complex flavors ranging from blackberry to peppery spice.  

Above: DAOU Vineyards produces hand-crafted, premium wines in classic French style. 

DAOU Vineyards is the dream of two brothers, Daniel and Georges, who were raised in France, went to college in California and developed one of the top five IPOs in the United States. When they sold their tech company, they purchased 100 acres at an elevation of 2,200 feet in Paso Robles to pursue their passion for fine wines. The production is smaller and very hands-on. The brothers select specific clones rare in California and plant them closer together but prune them to yield a smaller number of clusters per vine. All grapes are hand-picked and sorted, creating about one-half a regular yield, but highest quality fruit. In addition, the farm is certified “Sustainable in Practice,” meaning that while they are not entirely organic, the farming methods and processes are environmentally friendly and efficient. 

DAOU does not press the grapes, but macerates them with the skins for up to three weeks in order to break down tannins and allow the structure and flavors to develop. This “free run” process is highly unusual, with the goal being to create classic, elegant wines that can be cellared and developed over many years.

Two of the wines on the tasting menu that day included a 2012 DAOU Pinot Noir (100 percent free run,) which was fuller-bodied than other Pinots with heavier cherry and wood flavors; and the 2011 DAOU Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (100 percent free run,) which was a classic Cab with dark fruits and currants and a touch of spicy wood.

Above: Many of the 250 wineries in the Paso Robles AVA began as family farms and have preferred to stay hands-on in crafting and perfecting boutique, lower-production wines.  

Proulx Wines is housed on family-owned Willow Creek Farm that has been producing grapes for 60 years. Third-generation grower Genoa Riley and husband Kevin Riley began crushing the farm’s grapes for themselves in 2004 and the 2011 Red Label Zinfandel recently made #38 on the “Wine Enthusiast” Top 100 Wine List. The name Proulx (pronounced “proo”) is Kevin Riley’s maternal grandmother’s name.

Because of the drought affecting the region for several years, Proulx practices dry farming, capturing and making optimum use of the little precipitation available. This has affected their yield somewhat, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon, and this year the Zinfandel. But the dry heat makes the fruit that is harvested concentrated and potent.

Their tasting menu includes a couple of very nice roses. The 2013 Grenache Rose White Label is clean and fresh, and the 2013 Resistance Rose also has a fresh, hint-of-strawberry-and-spice taste and is not as sweet. Both are food friendly. The other notable tasting wine was the 2012 Red Label Zinfandel, a true, hearty Zin with plum and woody spice. 

All three wineries ship to Ohio—not every winery does—but there are a few Paso wines available locally. Some of the mainstream brands include Peachy Canyon, Paso Creek and Wild Horse. This writer picked up Vinum Cellars Red Dirt Red GSM (Casa di Vino in Wheeling) and Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red (Kroger’s St. Clairsville) and tasted the Tenacious Red. It’s a rich and hearty Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend, not dry, with tastes of blackberries and a hint of tobacco. The Syrah provides the dark purple color and just a slight touch of heat, and it would pair well with a beef or venison stew, grilled ribs or pork barbeque.