We have cider again, with a new experiment to taste!

We launched our ciders in Portland this month with a big party at a cider bar, The Place, where everyone tried the new ciders, which you can order here. Keep scrolling for an update from Nick, Sheryl, Caroline, Adam, and Tux!

This is us at the launch, from left; Nick, Sheryl, Caroline, Tux, and Adam.

Three-pack Discount

Our new ciders have launched online and in stores. Try our refreshingly dry Orchard Cider made from a dozen of our heirloom cider apples. Or our full-bodied Reserve Cider that is aged in oak barrels and sweetened with a splash of ice cider. Or our new experiment: a Noir Cider that is co-fermented with Pinot Noir grape skins from our very first grape harvest. All the apples (and the grape skins!) come from our farm. Try all three here. If you’re in the Portland area, The Place PDX offers local pickup and delivery.

News from the farm

Our apple trees tell us they enjoy sharing their fruit with people who appreciate outstanding drinks, and of course they relish the reviews and prizes (more below). Meanwhile, their buds have grown into baby apples, and thankfully, we were spared the deep frost this spring that struck a year ago. We are now doing rain dances for occasional summer showers. Can AI help us here?

Over in our vineyard, we have bloom! That's a key moment for grapes, when they self-pollinate, and it means that the harvest will be 110 days away. We had a bit of a scare when it rained all day on the 5th day of bloom. Rain during that critical time can impede pollination, but fortunately the rain seemed too light to damage the harvest. Here's a cluster in bloom on its way to becoming Pinot Noir grapes:

In 2019 we planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes on our farm, and our first wines (from the 2022 harvest) will be available early next year. We're looking forward to sharing our wine along with our cider. And the grapes are impressing local wildlife: Nick was jogging through the vineyard the other day and had to chase away two deer that had somehow sneaked through our deer fence. He instructed Connie, our guard dog and Chief Security Officer, to step up her patrolling. That’s why she couldn’t make the cider launch in Portland.

We have more than a dozen varieties of cider trees, and one we’re particularly excited about is Redfield, whose apples have a distinctly red flesh. These trees are looking very strong, with budding apples that look like tiny red onions. We’re hoping to make a Rosé Cider with the Redfield apples, and as you see the Redfield trees have plenty of fruit this year:

We’re delighted that our ciders continue to win recognition. Each of the three ciders won an award at GLINTCAP, the largest international cider competition, held in Michigan in May. Then our Reserve Cider won second place at the Northwest Cider Cup competition this month and silver from the Cidercraft Magazine in May. The awards are a tribute to our cider maker, Christine Walter of Bauman's Cider. Our apples love what she does with them!

You can learn more about Christine and each of us in the snarky biographies that Caroline posted at https://www.kristoffarms.com/team

So warmest wishes from all of us on Kristof Farms, from Connie and the deer and bears, and from our apple trees and grape vines. Here’s to your health!

2022 3-Pack

$75.00 for 3-pack

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Reply to this email with any questions. We hope you enjoy!! <3