The Continental
With nutrient-rich soil and micro-climate conditions, it is no surprise that the Hudson Valley region has been an agricultural hub for more than 200 years. What wasn’t farmed, grew naturally on its own. Among the apple trees, we planted in our own orchard was one such wild seedling apple tree. In 2018 that tree produced an abundance of apples that we picked to be the main ingredient in our first Wild Series Cider, The Continental. Wild apples provide characteristics that cannot be found in culinary apples from cultivated trees. Our Continental Ciders will come from such wild seedling trees growing freely throughout the Hudson Valley. When we claim to be #CiderCountry here in Warwick, NY.
THE CONTINENTAL
2024 Limited Production (Bottles and On Tap)
2023 Limited Production
2021 Limited Production (450 Bottles)
2018 Limited Production (960 Bottles)
George Washington drank here. At least that’s what we think he and the Continental Army did when they marched through the Warwick Valley in the late 1700s. Naturally, we like to imagine that they imbibed in hard cider produced from wild seedling apples like The Continental. Want to know why we think that?
In 2018, an abundance of blossoms burst open on a 40ft tall wild seedling tree in the center of Pennings Farm along an old property line. Likely, the rock wall that once marked the property line also protected an apple seed that a farmer once spit into the wall way back in the 1700s. We recognized an opportunity to harvest the fruit from the massive tree to see what could be produced from a truly one-of-a-kind apple!
Harvesting the apples from high up was a giant undertaking from the tall tree. A massive tarp was placed under the tree and we made a bi-weekly visit to the tree with a tractor loader and began shaking the tree. The result was a very impressive number of apples taken solely from this one tree, which we pressed and fermented into a truly unique cider with tropical fruit aromatics and flavor and a brilliant sharpness with a full body, an indication of heavy tannin action in the skin.
America’s most common beverage throughout history was hard cider, so we like to think that George and his troops quenched their thirst with the local libation.
The Cider Notes
You will be at ease with the first sip of The Continental. The tropical fruit aromatics and flavor offer a mood-lifting first impression, followed by a brilliant medium body finish that marches across your palate with a polished texture and intensity from the tannin-heavy skins.
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