Castle Hill Cider has earned a silver medal for Levity, one of its flagship offerings. The international competition, Drink Outside the Grape, recognizes high-quality, locally grown fruit wines from as far as India and Israel.
A unique method is used to make Levity. Castle Hill is the first producer in the United States to import and utilize qvevri, a terracotta vessel submerged underground to maintain cold temperatures. To create Levity’s unique effervescence and flavor profile, pressed juice ferments in the clay pots for three months, then is bottled for continued fermentation to create natural sparkle.
Qvevri are the oldest known fermentation vessels dating back 8,000 years to the country of Georgia. Traditionally, lids are sealed with clay and fern. At Castle Hill, lids are sealed with a closed-cell foam to avoid contamination.
“This is a small batch cider because of the intricate process of using the terracotta pots, ” Cidermaker Stuart Madany says. “Because qvevri do not have a drain, water is pumped out for cleaning. Smaller vessels are cleaned with a brush while larger vessels require us to climb inside. We clean the vessels without chemicals and they are relined with beeswax as needed to seal natural pores in the clay.”
Levity is a blend of ten Virginia grown apples including Harrison Albemarle Pippin, and Winesap. Produced since 2010, the 2017 vintage brings aromas of caramel, lemon zest, black cherry, almond and guava. In the mouth, it is very full bodied with both astringent and bitter tannins, flavors
This Article was originally published on Virginia Wine Time
