NC CIDER WEEK: Generations of cider making pays off for blueberry farm

Photo c/o Botanist and Barrel

Cedar Grove's Botanist and Barrel excited about its new foraged series of ciders.

North Carolina Cider Week runs November 12 - 16 – and is a perfect time to showcase all the great ciders being produced by the Tar Heel State. The kickoff to this week begins at Fercott Fermentables in Lenoir, where Botanist and Barrel will be on hand to sample some of their latest releases. During the week, look for places in Asheville, Durham, Chapel Hill and Carrboro to host cider-related events.

See a list of upcoming events here!

In honor of NC Cider Week, we decided to reach out to some of our friends in the world of cider and asked them pretty much the same questions to see how apples and hard cider became a part of their life.

In our first interview we reached out to co-owner Lyndon Smith of Cedar Grove's Botanist and Barrel. Along with his sister Kether, the cidermaker, the two in just a little over a year have put their names on the hard cider map with some unique creations such as rum-, whiskey- and tequila-aged ciders and some new ones like the paw paw cider. Below are excerpts from our interview with Lyndon.

How did you get into cider making? Our family has a tradition of foraging and making adult beverages with the harvest, that goes back a few generations, so as kids the seeds for fermentation were planted. As adults, when we started farming full time on Cedar Grove Blueberry Farm, the next natural step was to start fermenting ciders and wines. 

There are so many different types and ingredients one can put into cider – from other fruits, hops, barrel-aging, etc. Tell us a little bit about your favorite ingredients you’ve put in ciders. And where do you get your inspiration in creating these ciders? We are a blueberry farm and we are in love with the fruit because it’s organically dry-farmed, which creates low yield and high quality. When we take those whole berries and co-ferment them with apple juice and age them in gin barrels it’s magical. It’s round and creamy and Rosé like, with balanced acidity and lovely botanical notes. We also love to forage, so we are really excited about our paw paw cider, which is our first release in our foraged series.  

I’m personally inspired by the natural wines from the region of Jura in France, where you can find intentionally oxidized wines. We recently released a peach wine aged in a rum barrel that we borrowed from their tradition and it turned out great. It’s nutty and creamy and perfect with some Comte cheese. 


RELATED STORY: Brother and Sister team up for latest N.C. fruit wine/cider endeavor. 

There are a variety of apples to work with in making cider. What’s your favorite to use and why? We are big on blends and having as many apple varieties as possible in our pressings, especially bitter and high acid apples. But, if I had to pick, I’d say I love Zabergäu Reinette for its subtle nuttiness. Harrison, for its richness and Gold Rush, for its balance and subtle spice and sweetness. 

Botanist & Barrel's brother and sister team of Lyndon and Kether Smith.

Some people will say cider is similar to wine because it doesn’t contain malt like beer. But cider is served in tulips or pint glasses and poured on tap just like beer. What is your take on this subject? American-style cider is much more beer-like, while Old-World-style ciders are much more wine-like. At Botanist we make old-world style ciders with modern twists. I enjoy both styles. American-style tend to be sweeter and more carbonated, while old-world ciders are still or naturally effervescent and dryer. We also make heavily fruited cider which is a newer style of cider that tends to drink more like a dry wine or what you see many variations of in the market, rosé cider!    

Hard cider has been gaining a lot of traction here in the U.S. lately. Can you explain why so many people are reaching for a cider today who might not have picked up a cider years ago? Cider can be playful or serious. It can be dry or sweet, still or sparking, so there is something for everyone. I think in large part the growth comes from the amazing ciders being produced in the U.S. that just weren’t around 10 years ago. I also think people are realizing that dry cider, in particular, is a healthier adult beverage. 

What do you love most about cidermaking? The creativity and spontaneity! We make natural cider with no additives, no sulfites or sorbates, so each pressing and batch is different. We taste the juice and let it guide us. I love the moment when you first taste and it immediately shows you how it should be gently nudged in the right direction. 

What can we expect from Botanist & Barrel as the new year approaches? Any new releases you can share with us? Upcoming events? We are releasing our foraged series in a few weeks. This includes foragers delight, which is all foraged and abandoned tree apples, a paw paw cider and a mulberry cider. We are also releasing “pink is a feeling” which is a grape cider aged on the skins of a blend of four grapes, that is naturally a bright pink beautiful color. 

We have also starting planning the biggest festival to date on our farm for April 13th, 2019, called, Funk Down. It will feature wild fermented beverages and foods, including cider, beer, kimchi, kombucha and more. You can expect to see a few dozen of the best craft producers from near and far. For example we’ll have Kent Falls Brewery from Connecticut, Amor Artis Brewery from South Carolina, Micheal’s English Muffins from Raleigh and Vimala’s Curryblossom from Chapel Hill. The blueberry flowers will be in full bloom so it will be beautiful setting for a wild festival. 

Learning Wine Blending from a Professional

Jay Raffaldini leads a group in wine blending during the Assemblaggio.

Jay Raffaldini is a character to say the least. The 'From Wall Street to Wine Street" owner of Ronda's Raffaldini Vineyards has what can be called a very vibrant sense of humor. And that was displayed to its fullest when we attended the annual Assemblaggio blending experience on Nov. 3. He was like that sarcastic chemistry teacher that scolds you for not paying attention but with playful banter – so it seems OK.

Being our first wine blending at Raffaldini, we weren't sure what to expect. And as it turns out, we weren't disappointed in this once a year series of classes. The event as a whole was truly educational for anyone yearning to learn more about wine and blending. Raffaldini led the sold out group of around 70 wine club members and fans of the winery inside the winery's barrel room.

The 2-hour event consisted of two parts – during the first hour Raffaldini took the class through an afternoon of five wines – each one going a little bit quicker than the last. Appearance. Nose. Palate. Conclusion. Wines ranging from light to full-bodied. We sampled Sangiovese, Nero D'Avola, Montepulciano Passito, Sagrantino and a Montepulciano Petit Verdot Oak Co Fermentation Passito. Using a tasting grid to help guide us giving way to the taste, aroma and structure of each, he educated us on what to look for. 


The real work began during the second hour, where he turned loose the 9 tables. The mission – to ultimately come up with the perfect blend. We were fortunate to have at our table a couple who has been to this event for the past 10 years as well as a trio of ladies who have also attended this event previously and offered up some good tips for us as we all turned into mad scientists and began the blending process. As time ticked by, the pressure was on to not only complete our perfect blend but name a spokesperson, decide amongst the teams at the table which blend to present to Jay along with a name for the wine! Good thing we work best under pressure!


Raffaldini visited table after table, as each spokesperson stood up to describe the wine and its name. He tasted each, critiqued each, and you just hoped it wasn't your wine that he poured down the drain (which he did with table 6's wine). We chose to go big or go home, with a nice, big tannic wine with just a little acidity to mellow it out. Dathan, our fearless leader, stood up to present our wine by stating while the others were striving for their personal favorite, we were going for the double gold, best in show wine – and why not use the best wines to make this a reality. Not to biased, but we do believe our table presented one of the best blends of the afternoon, X Famiglia. Our wine consisted of a secret blend of Sangiovese, Nero, Sagrantino and Montepulciano Petit Verdot. Well, not too much of a secret, since we had to reveal our blending percentage to the crowd.

Jay Raffaldini listens to the blending results of table 7.

This event was one on our bucket list and we were so fortunate to be able to attend this year. We had an amazing time, learned a lot and look forward to taking our newfound knowledge from Raffaldini and applying it to our future wine tasting adventures ... and perhaps continue to experiment with some blending of our own.

Related Story: Over A Glass: From Wall Street to Wine Street

Triangle Around Town with Jay Raffaldini.

Social House Vodka teams up with Carolina Hurricanes for Chef Series

Social House Vodka has teamed up with the Carolina Hurricanes for a multi-year unique dining experience – the All-Star Chef Series.

Not to be confused with other "competitive" cooking challenges that have graced the Triangle-area in the past, the All-Star Chef Series provides exclusive access to some of North Carolina's leading chefs in an engaging multi-course seated dinner prior to selected Hurricanes home games.

Each dinner will take place inside the Arena Club restaurant at PNC Arena two hours before the puck drops. The experience will feature two acclaimed chefs showcasing their creative ways of serving up new and exciting flavors.

"We are really excited to partner with Social House Vodka on this campaign as it's another opportunity for us to highlight North Carolina and all it has to offer," says Mike Forman, vice president of marketing and brand strategy for the Hurricanes. "The culinary scene in this state has taken off and thanks to Social House Vodka, we are able to bring 12 of the best chefs throughout the state right here to PNC Arena."

The feelings are mutual according to Social House's President Cary Joshi. "It is an honor to work with the Carolina Hurricanes, given that we share common beliefs and values. We look forward to working with the Hurricanes organization and leveraging our networks to create and provide the best game day experience for fans."

The All-Star Chef Series team line-up includes:

• Nov. 10, 2018: Dean Neff of PinPoint Restaurant, Wilmington and Chris Coleman of Stoke Charlotte, Charlotte
• Dec. 11, 2018: Katie Button of Katie Button Restaurants, Asheville and Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani Restaurant Group, Asheville
• Jan. 4, 2019: Jacob Boehm of Snap Pea Underground, Raleigh and Michael Lee of M Sushi, Durham
• Feb. 19, 2019: Matthew Register of Southern Smoke BBQ, Garland and Eric Montagne of Locals Seafood Market & Oyster Bar at Transfer Co, Raleigh
• March 16, 2019: Matt Kelly of Mateo, Durham and Sean Fowler of Mandolin, Raleigh
• March 28, 2019: Walter Royal of Angus Barn, Raleigh and Serge Falcoz-Vigne of Saint Jacques, Raleigh

Tickets for the Carolina Hurricanes All-Star Chef Series pregame event and lower level
game tickets are $135. Carolina Hurricanes season ticket members also have access to purchasing tickets to the All-Star Chef Series pregame event for only $75.00.

WINE DINNER: NC Fine Wines presents winners paired with Raleigh restaurant

Pickled shrimp with apples and smoked trout with Krispy Kreme croutons were paired with NC Wines.

The NC Fine Wines Society, in partnership with Raleigh’s Buku restaurant, hosted its sixth and final North Carolina Fine Wine Society dinner of the year on Oct. 11.

The dinner showcased six of its 12 award-winning wines from the 2018 fine wine competition. NC Fine Wines Society was established two years ago as a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting the quality of North Carolina wines (Vinifera- and Hybrid-style) and to fund scholarships for North Carolina students pursuing careers in Enology, Viticulture and wine-related hospitality and agritourism programs.

The blind judging took place in early 2018 using the Wine Spectator scoring method by some of the best sommeliers around. The winners were announced at a gala event in February and soon after the winners went on the road, so to speak, by partnering with NC Fine Wines Society and restaurants across the state to highlight these award-winning wines.

Related Story: And the winner is ... North Carolina Fine Wines Society to host awards ceremony

We were pleased when we heard an event would be hosted in Raleigh at Buku and could not wait to attend. Unfortunately, it seemed that an unwanted visitor also made his way through Raleigh that day, as well as across the state. Hurricane Michael, heading up from the south, made a quick pass through Raleigh as he continued on his way north leaving destruction in its path. Questions were raised if the event would go on as planned and sure enough, it did. Sadly, some of the winemakers/owners were unable to make the trip across the state, from the coast or from the piedmont, due to the weather conditions – but the show went on.

As guests arrived, we made our way around the room chatting with Diana Jones and Jenny Miles of Jones von Drehle, Lou Anne Gaffney with Surry Cellars and Dan McLaughlin of the NC Fine Wines Society. As our glasses were filled with sparkling wine, Buku's wine director Troy Revell, kicked off the evening by welcoming guests and telling everyone a little about Buku and their new partnership with NC Wines. He then passed the microphone over to McLaughlin who introduced us all to the event and to the wines we would be trying this evening. Before each pairing, executive chef Amanda Haisley spoke about her inspiration for the dish we were about to enjoy and each winemaker or a representative spoke about their wine and pairing.

The pairings for the night were:

First Course – Pickled shrimp with pink peppercorn-compressed apples, persimmons, pickled scallions, orange blossom honey and micro herbs

Wine Pairing – Raffaldini 2016 Vermentino Superione

Our Take – Of course we've had the Vermentino from Raffaldini Vineyards before – and really enjoy its clean nose with a finish of citrus and pear. This wine contains no oak and has a nice lingering taste in the mouth. The slight peppered finish of this wine paired well with a healthy mouthful of apples and peppercorns. Then add to it the mild buttery taste of the shrimp. Magnifico!

Second Course – Smoked trout with Cheerwine-poached sour cherries, toasted nutmeg pecan butter, herb Krispy Kreme croutons and charred onions.

Wine Pairing – Midnight Magdalena Merlot and Laurel Gary's 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
Our Take – We're having red wine with trout? That seems odd. Yeah, that was some of the thoughts of people at our table. But after we tried the trout and the two red wines, we all knew this was a great pairing. Our favorite part of the plate was getting a Krispy Kreme crouton and some of the cherries together for an instant taste of our childhood – the pairing tasted like one of those old Hostess cherry fruit pies. As for the wines, they were both good, but the Cabernet beat out the Merlot – only by a bit.

Third Course – Larry’s Beans Braised Pork Cheeks, smoked sweet potato puree, massaged collards, espresso blackberry jam, fried boiled peanuts
Wine Pairing – Jones von Drehl 2012 Reserve Petit Verdot
Our Take – This was our favorite pairing of the evening. The pork cheeks paired perfectly with the wine – and pretty much all our tablemates agreed. We've had many Petit Verdot's from very earthy to incredibly smooth – this wine resides somewhere in the middle, which made it the best balanced wine for a dish like this. Not only did it go well with the main component, but also with the sweet potatoes and the collards.

Fourth Course – Sorghum-glazed Lamb Belly, crispy Goat Lady Chevre grit cake, mushroom confit, pepper-pickled pumpkin, Videri chocolate-cola gastrique
Wine Pairing – Sanctuary's 2015 Double Barrel (Tannet/Petit Verdot)
Our Take – We love our pork belly, and thought lamb belly would be just as good. It wasn't bad, but was also hard to eat. We tried eating like baby-back ribs. That didn't work. We tried cutting between the ribs – that was a lot of work. In the end, we did eat most of it, but have to admit, it was a little to 'fatty' to pair with the robust red blend. Usually fatty meats pair well with a ripe Tannet – but not this time. We were hoping for a little something better to pair with what was the Best in Show wine in this year's competition.

Dessert – Fall for You: pumpkin cake, bourbon pecans, tart cranberry sauce, pumpkin whip, cookie butter ice cream
Wine Pairing – Surry Cellars 2013 Iced Petit Manseng
Our Take – This dessert was the embodiment of Fall. It was simply to die for and paired so nicely with the Ice Petit Manseng from Surry Cellars. Pastry Chef Brittany Grantham outdid herself. We could have this for dessert every day!

Related Story: 2018 NC Fine Wines Competition Awards Results

EXCLUSIVE: Best in Show NC Wineries Talk About Awards

TV personality Lisa Prince interviews one of the live judges during the best in show competition.

The North Carolina State Fair is an event that North Carolinians look forward to each Fall. What's not to love? From the exhibits, rides and games to entertainment, animals and exploring the latest in deep fried foodie goodness. And we can't forget the competitions from 4-H to North Carolina wine. The State Fair has something for everyone. And this year, for the first time, the Best of Show wine competition was held live at the State Fair on Oct. 15. We, as well as fellow bloggers, The Wine Mouths, were on hand for this monumental event.

All wines entered were judged on their own on July 19 at Surry Community College. The top wines were then judged against each other in this blind Best in Show tasting. There were three categories: 

• Bunch Grape
• Muscadine Grape
• Fruit & Honey

The winning wines were reached by unanimous decision by the NC State Fair Best of Show judges, who were as follows:

• Henk Schuitemaker, certified sommelier, beverage director at Angus Barn Restaurant
• Dan Carroll, NCSU viticulture, retired – co-founder of the NC State Fair Wine Competition
• Scheryl McDavid, American wine society certified wine judge
• Alex Ancuta, American wine society certified wine judge

We arrived shortly before the judging was to begin as the audience of winemakers, winery managers and representatives were on hand nervously awaiting the final decision. Mingling in the crowd were employees from Windsor Run, Shadow Springs, Piccione, Carolina Heritage and Adams Vineyards.

The Best Bunch Grape Wine, or vinifera and hybrids, if you will, went to Thurmond’s Jones von Drehle Vineyards & Winery. Co-owner Diana Jones, as well as the winery’s local Raleigh representative Jenny Miles were inside the education building at the NC State Fair for the live judging.

The wine that brought home Best in Show was the winery’s 2013 Steel & Stone, a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. “Our wines have won many awards, but this is our first NC Best in Show. That made it quite special,” said Jones. “We have a small, fantastic team that works exceptionally hard, and for all of them to see their efforts rewarded is extremely fulfilling.”

Jones was also in Raleigh on Oct. 11 for the North Carolina Fine Wine Society’s food and wine pairing at Buku, where she showcased the 2012 Petit Verdot Reserve with braised pork cheeks prepared by Buku’s executive chef Amanda Haisley.

The second award handed out that afternoon was for Best Muscadine Grape Wine, which went to Cypress Bend Vineyards out of Wagram.

Piccione Vineyard's tasting room manager, Hailey Klepcyk
(left) talks with Flavor, NC's Lisa Prince.

“This is the second cup for our Catherine and the fifth cup from the State Fair,” says Cypress Bend’s president and owner, Tina Smith. “I believe we are the only winery in the state to have earned 5 best cups for Muscadine wines,” she reflects.

The winning wine, Catherine, is a semi-sweet white Muscadine that is full of fruit but with a robust aroma. Tasting this wine will give you a mouthful of peaches and pineapple.

Smith believes that the wines produced from Cypress Bend are a true essence of our states native grape. She wants everyone to know that the Muscadine grape has so many beautiful characteristics and aromas that can truly be enhanced when using the proper yeast and fermentation procedures. A lot of that falls on Nadia Hetzel, the winery’s head winemaker. “Nadia Hetzel is a highly skilled and professionally trained winemaker that holds her engineering degrees in viticulture and enology from Germany,” says Smith. And that comes across in her treatment – wines that are true art and science.

Rounding out the Best in Show was the Fruit & Honey Wine award which went to Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards in Hendersonville. The winery won for its blackberry wine, Home Place. Winery manager Barbara Walker was pleased to be recognized as the best fruit wine in the state. “This was the second year in a row for one of our blackberry wines,” she says. “In 2017 we won this category for our Chestnut Gap Cottage, and this year’s winner is the Home Place, a semi-dry, 100 percent blackberry (wine).”

Walker says after finding out they won, her first call was to winemaker Stephen Rigby to thank him for all the hard work. Home Place really hits close to home, as all the berries come from Henderson County courtesy of M&M Berry Farm, operated by Mike Pack.

With the holidays upon us, Walker informs us of the upcoming sparkling blackberry wine, which she says is “a great wine to use to celebrate the holidays and to bring in the New Year.” We would have to agree, and during our next visit to Hendersonville in November – we’ll be picking up bottles of both.