In case you hadn’t noticed, cider is having a moment. The lightly alcoholic beverage has popped up on restaurant menus in recent years. There are more cider bars in Portland now than ever before. And while consumers are drinking less wine and beer, cider is seeing an upswing, especially in the Northwest: sales of regional cider brands are up 13.3% from 2022 to the beginning of 2023, according to Nielsen.
“Cider has become popular over the last 10 years, but I think it’s time for a bit of a shake up,” says Deron Davenport, former head cider maker for Portland Cider Co. In May, Davenport launched Stray Cider, which will be “co-ferment”-driven. Technically anything made with two or more fruits fermented together is a co-ferment, but many producers start with apples and grapes. A wine drinker himself, Davenport plans to lure oenophiles over to cider with his unique blends. “They know those flavors—they enjoy dry things! Portland drinkers love weird crazy drinks.”
Northwest cider makers and winemakers are fermenting grapes with apples, pears, quince, and marionberries; apples with apricots; and blueberries with crabapples. These fruit-forward blends typically contain less alcohol than wine, so they become a refreshing alternative to your usual glass of skin-contact white.
I wrote about some of the producers making the best co-ferments right now for the fall issue of Portland Monthly.
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