Virtue has a selection of ciders. If you’re a newcomer to cider, Virtue’s RedStreak is a good place to start. “It’s our English dry cider. It’s got fresh apple skins aromas up front from the variety McIntosh – which is a wonderful variety, but sort of one-dimensional. It has great aroma, but not enough acid or tannin to make it an interesting cider by itself.” Blending sees to that. With its soft finish, RedStreak is an amenable, almost companionable cider. Complex enough to be interesting, it stays on the easy-to-like side of the orchard.

For cider lovers who want something more adventurous, Percheron is a “French farm cider that takes a lot of steps.” The apples are pressed – “a lot of high-acid and decent tannin apples.” The fruit ferments with native yeast. After four months, it goes into barrels. “We put it in used French oak barrels that have been rejected by the California wineries for being Brett-positive.” Brettanomyces, also known as Dekkera, is a yeast that adds funky, farmy notes.

One bottle of Percheron holds three different fermentations. As you might expect, “there’s a very high level of complexity. You can taste the farm, the barrel, the apple, the orchard.” Don’t graft your heart to the flavor of one bottle of Percheron though. “Each batch will taste a little different. Every barrel is different.”

Photo via Seanan Forbes

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