LIKE PHONOGRAPH RECORDS, CIDER IS REGAINING
expressive cider made from from high quality heirloom Apples
Fall 2016 Pressing
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OUr Cidermaking Philosophy
We make world class expressive cider from high quality heirloom and cider apples - Always using 100% New York State apples harvested at peak ripeness with no added sugar. All of the apples are pressed in the cool autumn weather and producing sparkling ciders - and all grown within 35 miles to show terroir of the NY Lakes region sitting between the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario.
The Fruit
Excellent fruit is the most essential element of great cider. We have established an orchard of true cider varieties that we grafted from our favorite orchards in the Finger Lakes. Some of the cider varieties we grow are Dabinett, Harry Master’s Jersey, Chisel Jersey, Tremlett’s Bitter, Ellis Bitter, and Ashmead’s Kernel and Porter’s Perfection. These apple varieties are rare and most growers will not plant them because they are finicky and not very productive. Some of them only fruit every other year. But we grow them so that we can make these high quality ciders. The extra work, attention and love that goes into growing them is what creates the complex and rich flavors.
All of this lovely fruit is grown with care and harvested at peak ripeness. We work closely with growers to ensure the fruit is just right for cidermaking. Upstate New York has had apple orchards for hundreds of years and the glacial soils and temperate climate is well-suited to growing apples with great flavor. The cool nights, especially in the autumn, allow the apples to ripen slowly and to keep the great flavors that they developed throughout the growing season. Notable American cider apple varieties originating in the Northeast include the Northern Spy, Golden Russet, Baldwin, and heirlooms that were commonplace 200 years ago.
The Press
Much of our cider is pressed on a rack and cloth press that has been in use for nearly 100 years. It is powered by a tractor and is being run by the fourth generation of the Gansz family to press at this same location. The video above shows the press in action.
The Fermentations
Phonograph cider comes from a traditional winemaking approach. The fruit is pressed fresh in the fall at peak ripeness and fermented in the Fingerlakes. The ciders are immediately fermented with no sugar added. This method showcases quality fruit in a pure and expressive cider. The cans are unfiltered, unsweet and complex with no added sulphites.
Products
Our four ciders currently in production are Greening, a single varietal Rhode Island Greening, our cider/wine Rosé and our Harvest Cider cans! The Harvest Cider is a blend of 51% bittersweet apples from an orchard that we helped to establish in 2014. We took our favorite apple trees and cut wood from them to propagate into this new orchard. This orchard has been fertilized only with organic chicken manure and is managed solely for cider production. The first taste is juicy and evolves into a dry aromatic finish.
Phonograph Cider is available by the bottle, can and on draft in several locations from Brooklyn, the Finger Lakes, and Buffalo to the Bay Area of CA (and not many places in-between - if you are interested in distributing Phonograph Cider please inquire).
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