Eden Ice Cider
In 2007, Albert and Eleanor Leger bought an abandoned dairy farm and started work building their cidery. Since then, they've planted more than 1,000 apple trees to supply their cider making. They produce 3 ice ciders (Heirloom Blend, Northern Spy, and Windfall Orchard) and 2 aperitif ciders (Orleans Herbal and Orleans Bitter). Making ice cider is different from ice wine. To make ice cider, Albert and Eleanor harvest their apples at peak ripeness and store them in cold storage until winter. The apples are then pressed into juice and allowed to freeze outside for 6-8 weeks. The freezing and then melting results in a concentrate that is naturally high is sugar. The concentrate is then fermented in cool temperatures for weeks or months. Once fermentation is complete, the cider is stabilized, filtered, and bottled. In all, it takes more than 8 lbs of apples to make one 375 ml bottle of ice cider!