Sip Northwest, Fall 2016

65 S I P N O R T H W E S T C O M 2ND PLACE Portland Cider Co Sorta Sweet 6 22oz 3RD PLACE Reverend Nats Hard Cider Revival Hard Apple 6 750ml BEST PERRY 1ST PLACE Finnriver Farm Cidery ORIGIN Chimacum WA CHARACTER Try this limited release limitedproduction purely pear sipper at the new orchard and cider garden in the center of the ciderys bucolic hometown A batch of wild pears om nearby Marrowstone Island builds the base for this popular pristine and delicate perry 13 375ml fi nnriver com 2ND PLACE WildCraft Cider Works 2015 Pioneer 18 750ml 3RD PLACE Portland Cider Co Pearfect 6 22oz BEST SPARKLING 1ST PLACE 2 Towns Ciderhouse Master Reserve Series 1 ORIGIN Corvallis OR CHARACTER A rare bottling of Northwest grown English cider apples Ashmeads Kernel Bramleys Seedling and Chisel Jersey plus American fav Newtown Pippin this cider could impress even the most stringent British palate Dry bold and slightly tannic with its oak aged infl uence of vanilla and spice aromas pear and clean apple fl avors widen and re esh on the fi nish 14 750ml 2townsciderhouse com 2ND PLACE Alpenfi re Cider Cinders 32 750ml 3RD PLACE Finnriver Farm Cidery Artisan 23 750ml Industry Influencer NANCY BISHOP ALPENFIRE CIDER PORT TOWNSEND WA A trailblazer in Northwest cidermaking Nancy Bishop was already head over apples for cider when a 2003 European tour helped her and husband Steve fi nd their nowsignature style Trekking from northwestern England through Normandy and into Spain they hit some of the worlds best cideries and realized they needed to plant their own orchards to take their operation from hobby to art Though they had previously dabbled in the process with apples from a friends orchard Bishop says it was on this trip that they realized cider could be a true expression of the apples and that the varieties they used mattered After returning they got to work planting 1000 organic trees of traditional bittersharp and bittersweet cider apples not something regularly cultivated in this grocery apple capital As the West Coasts fi rst certifi ed organic cidery Alpenfi re Cider produced only two styles of cider at fi rst a bone dry sipper which is still made similarly today as the Pirates Plank and a bittersweet which later became the popular Ember Over time they added in more styles including Bishops current favorite Dungeness a still cider and style not often seen in the United States It was something we experienced in Europe and wanted to replicate she says You can experience the 200 varieties of apples that went into the bottle without the bubbles to distract With many of the apples for this cider coming from the namesake orchard in nearby Sequim each was chosen for its distinct fl avor And while not every nuance can be separated its a testament to the couples commitment to using only fl avorful bold fruit rather than sweet water as Bishop puts it With more attention being paid to cider she acknowledges that its not all rising boats on the swell I dont think we give drinkers enough credit for their senses she says Instead of being patient and making complex ciders that their senses can adapt to understanding the market is being fl ooded with sweet novelties Bishop says it is up to cider producers to build the reputation of cider as a viable alternative to quality wines and beers A favorite apple grower of the Bishops has decided to pull out his wonderful old trees cutting off some of their supply to favorites like Winter Bananas in favor of a more cashearning crop Christmas trees Still Bishop believes that carrying on their 5000 gallon production and welcoming aspiring cidermakers into their tasting room will pay off Well just carry on as were doing and hope that other people will start their own cideries she says Its what we saw in Europe a place for small traditional apple focused cider growth With an emphasis on educating consumers to what theyre doing and a commitment to making the truest ciders they can Alpenfi re blazes on BY JULIA WAYNE FAR RIGHT PHOTO BY BOOTSTRAP COMMERCIAL ARTS