Floral Terranes 'Restoration Farm' Cider 2023 Long Island, New York

Place: Long Island, New York

Apples: Roxbury Russet, Black Gilliflower, and Newtown Pippin 

Story: "Erik Longabardi and Benford Lepley, both Long Island natives, started Floral Terranes in 2017 out of a shared passion for fruit foraging and fermentation. Their ciders and wines, made in Erik's garage in Roslyn, are a by-product of their deep interest in the conservation of land and fruit trees on an ever-developing Long Island. For their cider production, they forage apples from an array of sites - ranging from one-off roadside trees to residential yards to small orchards. The incorporation of wine production with their ciders was a natural progression. Through the years, they have developed relationships with a number of growers on the North Fork and are now sourcing fruit from an unnamed site, referred to as 'Elijah Vineyard' in Mattituck, NY, less than a mile from the Long Island Sound. It's surrounded by abandoned farmland, vineyards, organic vegetable farms, and tree nurseries."

"A blend of three varieties from Restoration Farm in Bethpage, NY - Roxbury Russet, Black Gilliflower, and Newtown Pippin apples. This orchard supplies fruit from trees with 30+ year-old rootstock, and are totally unsprayed. The cider was made of fully ripened "drops" as opposed to fruit picked or shaken from the tree by hand.The fruit was harvested in late September, fermented in tank, and racked into barrel towards the end of primary fermentation in mid November. Aged for 10 months in barrel before bottling. 6.8% abv."

Distributor: Bowler