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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2016)
April 15, 2016 CapitalPress.com 7 Cider-making comes naturally to orchardist For the Capital Press SALEM, Ore. — Kevin Ziel- inski didn’t set out to be a cider- maker. “I was already a full-time farm- er,” he says. “I didn’t need another job.” But when Kevin planted French cider apples in his orchard for a winemaker friend in 2000, he was unknowingly planting the seed for the next chapter in his family’s business. E.Z. Orchards was founded in 1929 by Kevin’s grandfather, Ed- ward Zielinski. The farm began in Sheridan, but moved to its current location just northeast of Salem in 1945, where about 155 acres are now planted to apples, pears, peaches and hazelnuts. Today, Edward’s grandsons — John, Mark and Kevin Zielins- ki — run the business, with John managing the farm market and Mark and Kevin splitting orchard duties. Kevin also oversees E.Z. Orchards’ newest project: a line of French-style farmhouse ciders. When his winemaker friend moved to Eastern Washing- ton before the trees started to bear fruit, Kevin took over the project. “I’d made low-intervention wines for years, and once I got comfortable with a low-interven- tion method of making cider, I got interested.” After several years of experimentation, he launched his own brand in 2009. Unlike many cidermakers, E.Z. Orchards grows its own fruit. “I still see myself as an or- chardist first,” Kevin says. He keeps nutrient levels in the cider orchard low to promote less ag- gressive fermentation, which he says helps retain more aromatics in the finished product. “My intention as a cidermaker is to build cider from fruits bred for that purpose. The tannins, ar- omatics and acid are already there in the fruit.” The orchard currently grows nine cider apple varieties for its operations: Muscadet de Dieppe, Domaine, San Martin, Yarlington Mill, Marie Menard, Champagne Reinette, Muscadet de Lense, Muscadet de Bernet, Roxbury Russet and Douce Moen. Some of E.Z. Orchards’ ciders also use apple varieties such as Jonathan, Rome and Golden De- licious. “Our maritime climate is a lot like Normandy and England, so cider apples do well here,” Kevin says. “They have thicker skin, har- dier fruit, and are more pest resis- tant. Plus we don’t need to worry as much about appearance.” E.Z. Orchards uses a French technique called methode ances- tral that calls for a long, sponta- neous primary fermentation that finishes in the bottle and eschews pasteurization. Carbonation hap- pens naturally in the bottle with- out dosage, or the addition of priming sugar. Too much sugar left in the cider before bottling, and it will explode. Not enough, and the cider will be flat. “That’s probably the most anguishing part,” Kevin says. “Timing is critical.” The results are delicious. Aro- matic, highly effervescent and dry with a subtle, earthy sweetness, E.Z. Orchards’ cider is simultane- ously sophisticated and approach- able, excellent paired with food yet substantial enough to savor on its own. Cider remains a relatively small part of E.Z. Orchards’ over- all business — Kevin estimates about 10 percent — but it’s grow- ing. E.Z. Orchards’ cider is now distributed in 10 states. Last year, the cider industry saw 15 percent expansion, and national interest in the beverage continues to climb. “The styles of North American cider are being defined — right now — by modern cider-makers,” Kevin says. “And I’m very inter- ested in how it plays out.” Margarett Waterbury/For the Capital Press E.Z. Orchards’ Hawk Haus Cider is a blend of Jonathan and Yarlington Mill apples. Roman Beauty is made from Rome apples, while Cidre Semi-Dry is a blend of French cider apples. ONV16-7/#7 By MARGARETT WATERBURY
