Kite & String Geneva Russet Cider

Kite & String is the house cider of Finger Lakes Cider House, an organic farm and cidery in Interlaken, New York, at the midway point of Cayuga Lake. Geneva Russet is a traditional method dry sparkling cider made from Geneva Russet, Golden Russet, Margil, Major, Somerset Redstreak, and Jersey apples. The fruit was stainless steel fermented, bottle-aged, and hand-disgorged.

It’s active, the first pour topped by a heady lather that subsides into a busy bead. The fragrance is earthy, savory, and sharp-fruited, mingling tart apple skin with sous bois. It also has a distinct mineral note, like graphite or wet clay, that’s absent from many ciders. The palate is likewise savory, the body animated by a lively mousse that carries flavors of roasted chestnuts and bittersweet apple.

More rich than cleansing, it’s a cider to serve with well-aged cheeses (think three-year Gouda), cured meats, meat pasties, and savory vegetable or mushroom dishes: phyllo, strudel, pie.