Domaine Champlain 2013 Hard Cider

I doff my proverbial chapeau to Westport friend and author/editor/cider maker Kathryn Cramer this morning. She gifted me a generous jug of her Domaine Champlain 2013 Hard Cider for my birthday, and I can assure you there’s no gentler salve (or kinder tonic) for the bittersweet somersault of aging.

From Hieroglyph to Hard Cider

Cramer’s recent book Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future is bending minds and stretching imaginations all around the globe, but she’s still found time to explore pomology and cider making. Her small but productive orchard is located next to the new home of The Greenhorns just south of Westport where she will begin working part-time soon.

So –– I imagine you asking –– if Cramer (kathryncramer.com) is “Jill of all trades” how good can she possibly be at fermenting apples into potable elixirs? Good!

Domaine Champlain 2013

I admit that I too was a little teensy-weensy bit skeptical myself. I mean, it’s easy enough to make buzz-worthy booze out of sweet juice of just about any derivation, but there’s a world of difference between medicine and fine wine or spirits.

Domaine Champlain 2013 Hard Cider is genuinely champagne-esque!

While I don’t pretend to be a cider sommelier, I can assure you that the Domaine Champlain 2013 Hard Cider I’m enjoying as I type this post is crisp, dry and refreshing on the palate and crystal clear in the glass. No occlusion. No milky sediment seiche drifting at the bottom of the glass. No yeasty residue. No sugary liquid candy…

In short, Cramer’s Domaine Champlain 2013 Hard Cider is genuinely champagne-esque!

I only hope that she decides to produce enough hard cider to sell in the near future. If you see her quickly swapping hats, be sure to encourage her. As I see it, Domaine Champlain 2013 Hard Cider is the next obvious step toward transforming the Adirondack Coast into a gastrotourism destination. Cheers!

Hard Cider Gallery

Enjoy a few unofficial pics of my delicious sample of Domaine Champlain 2013 Hard Cider.

Book Reading and Signing of HIEROGLYPH (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Full and By Farm: Cider Making (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Not Just Sugary-Sweet, Hard Cider Makes A Comeback (npr.org)
The centuries-old drink that’s made a comeback (abcactionnews.com)
Storytelling, Stillness & Deep Listening (virtualdavis.com)

About Geo Davis

Geo Davis (aka virtualDavis) is a writer, storyteller and unabashed flâneur. He taught and coached at Santa Fe Preparatory School and The American School of Paris, co-founded Maison Margaux: "Paris à la parisienne" in Faubourg Saint-Germain, and owns Adobe Oasis in Santa Fe, NM with his bride.

Geo chronicles adventures (and misadventures) of rehabilitating an historic Essex home at Rosslyn Redux: Reawakening a home, a dream and ourselves; blogs about doodling and other esoterica at virtualDavis.com; posts sometimes unnerving, occasionally euphoric, and always pollyanna "midlife mashups" at 40x41.com; waxes nautical at Sailing Errant; and delves into matters of parenting, babylandia, and childfreedom at Why No Kids? He meanders on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube and Flickr.