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