Daylight savings kicked into gear this past weekend and so did a little extra chill in the air. Did you feel it? We did (and so did all the trick-or-treaters battling the windy Friday we had). But while you might have unpacked some sweaters and put away the shorts, Wöllfer Estate Vineyard is finding ways to keep your sipping season-spanning with two new releases just for the still seasons.
For a limited time, get your hands on their recently released Cranberry Spiced Cider and the winter edition of Summer in a Bottle Côtes de Provençe Rosé.
The carbonated Wölffer 139 Cranberry Spiced Cider, winemaker Roman Roth drew from memories of growing up in Germany, where glühwein — a warmed concoction of red wine and baking spices — was always a fun bonus of Bavarian winter weather, as well as America’s counterpart, mulled cider.
It’s a fun blend of 10 or so different apple varieties, all from apples hand-picked upstate at DeFisher Fruit Farms and Longer Farms in Williamson, N.Y., near Rochester.
After the cider goes through fermentation and settles, the cranberry and other natural additions of proportioned spice flavors are added. The color is somewhere between ruby and fuchsia, with zesty notes of cinnamon, clove and orange peel.
The season-crossing Summer in a Bottle “Winter Edition” is a special release from Wölffer’s Provençe project to keep the pink flowing all year. The rise in interest in rosé has altered the way wine drinkers consider the pink-hued pleaser, and fair enough: Rosé in particular on holidays like Thanksgiving can be a delicious link between a multitude of flavors and textures on the table.
In particular, the Winter Edition is a blend of grenache, vermentino, syrah and cinsault, a blend that offers both good acidity to cut through starchy, rich dishes during the holidays, and grapes that also offer a little extra tannic structure and flavors of tart cranberry and red currant. Post-fermentation, this rosé sit on the lees for a good trio of months, adding a little soft richness to the texture, too.
Wölffer No. 139 Cranberry Spiced Cider is available now at select markets and at the Wölffer tasting room (139 Sagg Road, Sagaponack, 631-537-5106) for $16/4 pack; Wölffer Summer in a Bottle “Winter Edition” is available at select wine shops and the winery tasting room for $27/750 ml bottle.
