Troddenvale "Oakley: End of Harvest" Cider, Virginia 2022

FROM DISCO LIQUIDS:

THE CIDER: This Farm Cider is made from fruit grown in our high elevation, regenerative orchard at Oakley Farm, located in Bath County, Virginia. Fruit was picked in middle weeks of October, signaling the end of harvest. All fruit was ground and pressed directly to a neutral French oak barrel in the following weeks. An uninoculated, native primary fermentation carried out over the fall and the barrel was briefly stirred to encourage a natural malolactic fermentation. Seedling apples were harvested at varying points of the season from the farm and collectively pressed to a glass demijohn to ferment before being added to top up the barrel. The cider sat undisturbed for nearly a year before it was racked off its gross/fine lees and bottled still in October of 2023. No additions of SO2 were made at any stage of this wine.

THE PRODUCER: In their own words: “Troddenvale roughly translates to the ‘valley road’ and is inspired by a lengthy history of visitors traveling to the cradle of Virginia’s Warm Springs Valley. Translated through our cider, we strive to preserve this valley’s treasured history, its spring water, forgotten orchards, and furthermore, we seek an opportunity for new stories to be told - of the land, the soil, and the people. We are focused on revitalizing fruit growing for cider production in our mountain region of Virginia. We believe that dedicating our efforts to where fruit is grown and how will lead us to achieve the greatest potential in our cider.”

In their efforts to support the broader region, they glean a lot of fruit from old abandoned orchards and seedlings on the perimeters of properties. However, they also consistently buy fruit from growers in the area, working with them to improve their agricultural practices even if the farmers are resistant to organic/regenerative agriculture. Will and Cornelia planted a home vineyard (pictured above) to many varieties and are farming it according to regenerative principles. They have also started a food share (basically a farmer’s market) that’s transforming the region’s agriculture; their chicken farming neighbors now sell the majority of their chickens to customers in Western VA.