Rhode Island only a has a few local hard apple cideries, but they're worth a visit
It's apple season in New England.
With the orchards in their prime, it's time to check items off the fall bucket list. Drive out to the orchard and make a day of apple picking. Eat some apple treats like cider donuts and apple pies. And, don't forget about the hard ciders.
Rhode Island doesn't have many cideries, but the ones it does have are worth tasting with surprises like heirloom apples or apple wines. Here's where to go to get a taste of the season.
Sowams Cider Work Company
Address: 98 Child St., Warren
What to know: This cider company works with some of the most interesting apples in New England, which is the secret ingredient to their ciders. Their orchard on Long Lane in Warren has hundreds of trees, with over 80 varieties including many heirloom apples and British and European cider apples. You can't find these apples just anywhere anymore, but you can find them at Sowam's fruit stand, which is only open during the apple harvest, or in their ciders.
The ciders, which are slow juiced in small batches and then left to ferment with native and selected yeasts, are some of the most flavorful around, thanks to the apples. Here you can find selections like Newtown Pippin made with Queen Victoria's favorite apple, the Roxbury Russet made with a classic New England apple or the tangy Gold Rush. Get a flight in their tasting room and sample several. You won't find anything quite like them anywhere else.
Where to go apple picking: Here are 11 great orchards to visit in RI
Tapped Apple Cidery & Winery
Where to go: 37 High St., Westerly
What to know: This family-run business makes both hard apple ciders and apple wines. If you're wondering what the dividing line is between apple wine and cider, it's mainly the alcohol content. Different sources have different opinions on where the tipping point is, but apple-made drinks with lower alcohol contents, think 5 to 7% ABV, are usually classified as ciders and apple-made drinks that are higher than that, think the 10 to 12% range, are usually classified as wine.
John Wiedenheft III, the chief cider and wine taster, started making wine in his basement for friends and family. As he got good at it and got sick of ordering grapes from California, he shifted his focus to apple wines. His son, John Wiedenheft IV, the chief cider and winemaker, got more involved, they made more wines, and then in 2017, they opened their tasting room in Westerly. Their customers started asking for cider options too, so now they have those as well.
Fall bucket list: Looking to get in the fall spirit? These 14 things to do in RI will put you in the mood
Now, you can try the whole range of what's possible with apples ordering tasting glasses, a flight, full glasses or more if you want it. They also sell cheeses, crackers, cured meat and local chocolates, or you can bring your own food with you.
Newport Vineyards
Address: 909 East Main Road, Middletown
What to know: Yes, wine is their specialty or there's their brewery Taproot. But among their alcoholic offerings, there is one cider: The Rhody Coyote.
Crisp, dry and made with local apples, the 7% ABV cider is a great pour. You can go for a tasting and enjoy a view of the vineyards and perhaps a walk around the vine, or you can have a glass while also checking out the farm-to-table dining on site. If you're thinking about dining we highly recommend getting a reservation, which opens up one month in advance.
Turncoat Cidery
What to know: This isn't a cidery you can visit, but it is a Rhode Island cidery so it makes the list.
The ciders are made at Fox Hill Farm, which is the historic family farm of Rhode Island's first governor, Benedict Arnold (not to be confused with his grandfather Benedict Arnold the traitor). The apples from the farm, which include heirloom varieties, are turned into their three cider varieties. The ciders are sold in package stores and restaurants throughout Rhode Island.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Looking for hard apple cider made in RI? Check out these places
