Rosé Cider: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Our Rosé Cider is a delightful creation made with Blaufränkisch grapes and blended with Rhode Island Greening and Cortland apples. The rich strawberry, rhubarb and plum aromas precede mild tannins and balanced acidity. This visually stunning, sparkling drink will intrigue your tastes with hints of butter and dark stone fruit.
The Collaboration
Over the years we have developed a strong relationship with Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. They make award-winning wines & ciders, and we make award winning spirits and ciders, and we’re just on the other side of Rochester from each other. Being two multi-generational family owned businesses, we both understand the importance of supporting one another in order to grow. It was a pleasure to work alongside head winemaker Jonathan Oakes and his family for this product.
The Process
We start with the finished product in mind and what both sides bring to the table, when we are in the beginning stages of a collaboration. In this case, we wanted aromatics that highlighted those rich, summer-inspired characteristics of a rosé-style wine. Each step of the process is then geared toward obtaining that signature scent while bringing out the flavors and aromatics of the apples and grapes that make up this cider. Our rosé begins as two separate craft specialties; hard cider and wine are blended seamlessly after each one has been perfected. For the cider component of our rosé, we chose to use our Heritage blend, because the use of Rhode Island Greening and Cortland apples in the cider bring out these wonderful peach and apricot aromatics so characteristic of late summer days. Meanwhile, for the wine component, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery had an outstanding vinifera wine called Blaufränkisch, which was aged to bring out these rich cherry and plum notes. This deep red wine also contributed to the stunning color. In the final step, our cidermaker Alex and head winemaker Jonathan Oakes get together to agree on the perfect proportions of cider to wine, and once it passes, we combine the two together to get our rosé!
Food Pairings
A good rule of thumb with hard ciders is to pair them with food as you would with a white wine, , but the Rosé Cider is one of a few hard ciders that you can pair with foods that go well with red wine. Our favorite pairings with this cider include grilled salmon, well-seasoned pork, and steak.
Have you had a chance to try our Rosé Cider yet? If not, we would love for you pick up a bottle, or join us at our tasting room, and let us know what you think.