Review of Honeywood Winery’s Hard Apple Cider.  This is the winery’s only cider, and the first time I’ve tried it.

Cider:  Hard Apple Cider
Cidery:  Honeywood Winery
Cidery Location:  Salem Oregon
ABV:  11%
How Supplied:  750ml corked clear glass wine bottle
Style:  American apple wine

 

Availability:  Oregon and Washington.  They also have an online store.

Cider Description:  Nothing says autumn like Apples!  There’s bobbing for apples, an apple for your teacher, and of course apple pie.   Honeywood’s Hard Apple Cider is made from Pacific Northwest Apples, the best grown in Washington and Oregon, specially blended into a great Hard Cider. Rich, clean, fresh and fruity, and very flavorful. Can be served heated…add a cinnamon stick or other spices.

Cidery Description:  In 1933, Honeywood Winery was founded by Ron Honeyman and John Wood. It was originally called Columbia Distilleries, and produced fruit brandies, cordials and liqueurs. Eventually, they settled on making premium wines and decided a name change was in order for the winery. Contrary to the obvious, Messrs. Honeyman and Wood did not use a contraction of their names to make Honeywood, and in fact, objected to the name on those grounds. An advertising consultant provided the rationale with a line from Oliver Goldsmith’s play, “The Good Natured Man,” wherin the products of fermentation were referred to as, “smooth as HONEY…aged in WOOD…the drink of the good natured man.” Honeywood became synonymous with the elite in wines. A winery must be close to its source of ingredients, and so it is with Honeywood. Located in Salem, in the heart of Oregon’s great and fertile Willamette Valley, the winery is minutes away from some of the world’s finest vineyards, cane berry fields and fruit orchards. Honeywood is the oldest producing winery in Oregon. The winery produces a full line of premium vinifera wines and the most extensive listing of premium fruit and specialty wines. We offer complimentary tasting and our tasting room includes a gourmet marketplace that sells Oregon food products and wine related gifts.

Price:  $12
Where Bought:  a wine shop in Port Townsend WA
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  Browsing.  I had never heard of or seen this cider, and couldn’t find any detailed information online, so I decided to pick it up.  I call these finds “mystery cider”.

First Impression:  Medium straw yellow hue.  Still (no carbonation).  Smells like sweet acidic white wine, with a hint of cork.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-sweet to sweet.  Medium bodied.  Low tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Hints of tannins and bitterness.  No sourness or funk.  Notes of white grape, honey, pineapple, and green apple.  Quick but boozy finish.  Low apple flavor.  Moderate sessionability.  Moderate flavor intensity.  Low complexity.

My Opinion:  Definitely not what I was expecting.  I had guessed this would be dry (based on it being 11% ABV and being made by a winery), but it was the opposite.  However, I enjoyed it.  More of a dessert beverage than something to have with dinner.

Most Similar to:  A cross between sweet white wine and sweet mead.

Closing Notes:   This cider was a good value too.

Have you tried Honeywood Winery’s cider?  What did you think?