The sun is shining, birds are chirping and a feast of oysters is spread out on a small plate in front of you. You pop the cap off a 750-milliliter bottle of cider, fill a pair of glasses and gaze out on an expanse of green — fruit trees and vegetable gardens interspersed in the landscape.
Basically, all is right with the world.
That’s what I envision when I think back on taking the Port Townsend Cider Route, a trip through three of the best hard cideries in the state of Washington: Alpenfire Cider, Finnriver Farm &Cidery and Eaglemount Wine &Cider. All three are within a few miles of each other and form a loop on the upper peninsula just south of Port Townsend.
My wife and I recently spent a weekend visiting the three cideries, imbibing on cider, walking through apple orchards and chatting with the men and women who have made pressing apples into glorious golden liquid their life’s work. It was a magical trip and I would recommend taking the cider route to anyone. (We did it in two days, otherwise you may need a designated driver; the peninsula doesn’t have Uber yet.)
Cider has boomed in the past three years and is currently the fastest-growing segment of the beverage market, according to the Northwest Cider Association. A large part of that is because of the gluten-free diet craze, but it also stems from cider’s health benefits and taste, and people’s curiosity. I’m in the curiosity camp, while my wife, who is gluten free, drinks cider because she misses beer.
Visiting a cidery is a lot like going to a winery. Tastings are on regular rotation, guided by the people who are directly involved with making the product. It’s a relaxed atmosphere — naturally — and very interesting. Ciders have a wide range in flavor, from dry, hoppy to very sweet. It’s more than just cider as well. Finnriver makes an apple liquor and Alpenfire has branched off (no pun intended) into making vinegars.
Alpenfire Cider
Started in 2003 by Nancy and Steve “Bear” Bishop, Alpenfire takes great pride in being organic. In May, with bees suffering a 30 percent colony collapse, Alpenfire had dozens of fifth-graders from a local middle school come out to the farm and help pollinate the apples.
Just a stone’s throw from Discover Bay, Alpenfire is tucked away down a small dirt road off of Pocket Lane. When you arrive at the farm, don’t be surprised if you see Bear roaming around the orchard or tasting room. He’s a fixture and a larger-than-life figure who greets strangers like he’s known them forever. He talked with us extensively during our visit and made us feel at home right away.
The ciders at Alpenfire show the craftsmanship that the Bishops have cultivated over the years. Spark, a semi-sweet cider, and Ember, a bittersweet offering, are Alpenfire’s two flagship ciders. But don’t stop there. We tried Pirate’s Plank “Bone Dry,” Glow, a Rose cider, Calypso, a blackberry cider aged in Bull Run Distilling rum barrels, and more during our tasting. We ended up purchasing a bottle of the Ember.
Finnriver Farm
The next day we headed south to Chimacum and out to Finnriver Farm, which was founded in 2008. The 80-acre farm sits atop a small ridge overlooking the orchard. There is a large red barn (with a small tasting room) and a roofed dining area, where they serve wood-fired pizzas on Sundays. The main farm has a small orchard, with a larger orchard of 4,000 trees just down the road.
We joined a large tasting group and enjoyed eight of Finnriver’s offerings, just a portion of the different ciders, and spirited and dessert wines the cidery offers. The group was lively and the instruction from the farm’s guide was engaging. We enjoyed the Fire Barrel Cider, a traditional bittersweet cider aged in fire-charred Kentucky bourbon barrels, and the Sidra, a Spanish-style cider.
On Saturdays during the summer the cidery hosts Hama Hama Oysters, so we grabbed a dozen and bought Finnriver’s Dry Hopped cider. The pairing was near perfection, and so was the pairing of the weather and view.
Eaglemount Wine &Cider
After visiting Finnriver, we headed east on Eaglemount Road out to Eaglemount Wine &Cider, which was founded in 2006 on the site of what was formerly the Homestead Farm, one of the original homesteads in the area dating back to 1883. The tasting room is down a gravel road in a rustic wood building surrounded by gnarly heirloom apple trees. It’s a step back in time.
There was a group of eight people when we joined the tasting, with a number of other visitors coming through the door at regular intervals. Robert Laitman and Ashley Jones served up tastes of ciders and wines. Not as formal as the other cideries, Eaglemount offers visitors a checklist of their ciders and wines and allows tasters to choose their own adventure.
Along with its Homestead line of ciders, including a semi-sweet and dry versions, Eaglemount cidermakers Jim and Trudy Davis focus on specialty ciders, including a ginger cider and quince-infused cider, and meads, or honey wines. We purchased a quince-infused cider and a Cyser, a semi-sweet cider with honey.
Recently, Eaglemount opened another tasting room in a historic building on a farm off of Jacob Miller Road just outside Port Townsend.
Alpenfire Cider: 220 Pocket Lane, Port Townsend, 360-379-8915, alpenfirecider.com. Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Finnriver Farm &Cidery: 62 Barn Swallow Road, Chimacum, 360-732-4337, www.finnriver.com. Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. daily.
Eaglemount Wine &Cider: 2350 Eaglemount Road, Pt Townsend, 360-732-4084, eaglemountwinery.com. Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The Northwest Cider Association presents the fifth annual Summer Cider Day celebration noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St., Port Townsend. Taste more than 60 ciders from 17 Northwest cideries and enjoy live music. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door and include 10 tasting tickets and a NWCA commemorative glass. Additional taste tickets, food and featured bottles of cider will be available for purchase. For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.nwcider.com.
Cider Summit Seattle
The Cider Summit Festival returns to Seattle. The event is 3 to 8 p.m. Sept. 11 and noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 12 at the South Lake Union Discovery Center, and will feature more than 150 handcrafted ciders from producers in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and California. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 (cash only) at the door. Admission includes a souvenir glass and eight tasting tickets. Additional tasting tickets will be available for sale onsite at $2 per ticket. For more information, go to www.cidersummitnw.com.
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