Vermont Sparkling Hard Cyder
Characteristics:
Sparkling and dry.
Never fruity or sweet.
Our Sparkling Hard Cyder makes a festive addition to any party and is the perfect compliment to fine foods and desserts.
Hand crafted in The Old French Champagne Style or "Methode Champenoise", our cyder is transformed from a dry still wine to a magnificent sparkling elixir.
The finished product is outfitted with an authentic champagne cork and adorned with a traditional wire hood.
Aged two years before bottling; then aged for another year in a handsome Champagne bottle and finished with an authentic champagne cork and wire hood.
Excellent tiny bubbles.
9 ½ % alcohol; no sulfites.
Suggested Retail: $16.99/bottle
Why Do We Use Methode Champenoise?
In an era when many winemakers choose the easy way out, using carbon dioxide gas to impart sparkling qualities to their bubbly wines, at Flag Hill Farm we are proud to use the traditional, labor intensive, French "Methode Champenoise" exclusively when transforming our dry still wine into a vibrant sparkling elixir.
Our authentic methode champenoise yields a drink with finer bubbles than those which are simply carbonated. In addition, the flavors tend to be more intense, as a result of the wine resting on the "lees", that add complexity to the flavor.
The process begins by creating a marriage between our still wine, organic cane sugar, and quality champagne yeast. This mixture is then crowned with a metal cap and allowed to mature for twelve months, at a controlled temperature, allowing splendid, small bubbles to form.
During the year of fermentation, the bottles are positioned in such a way as to allow the gradual collection of the yeast, or lees, in the neck of each bottle. When our winemaker determines that the lees have sufficiently developed, the neck of each bottle is plunged into a bath of freezing water. After this freezing dip, the metal crown caps are removed, allowing the now frozen plug of yeast to literally launch from the bottle. This is called the 'disgorging'. Next, each bottle is topped off with a 'dosage' to replace the liquid that escaped during the disgorgement. Each bottle is then outfitted with a champagne cork and an authentic wire hood.
And, voila! A bottle of crisp, dry Sparkling Vermont Hard Cyder! Enjoy!