Eden Specialty Ciders
Imperial 11 Rosé 2019
Vermont
Eleanor Leger’s love of alcoholic beverages blossomed as a teenager in France, away from the watchful eyes of her parents. Living through (yet another!) freezing Vermont winter, she was determined to create something that would whisk her back to the warmth of southern France – at least in the glass. She worked tirelessly to find just the right combination of apples and fruit to strike the right balance of color, with just a kiss of sweetness. She experimented with cherries, raspberries, black currants and several other things before landing on red currants. With that, Imperial 11 Rosé was born.
The Imperial 11° Rosé cider has the body, alcohol level and juiciness of a delicious drier rosé wine. The cold-concentrated apple juice is infused with red currant juice which provides earthy tannin and red berry flavor notes as well as beautiful color.
Orchard
Vermont is perfectly suited to support small family farms over a multitude of industries. About 40% of Vermont’s population regularly shops at farmers markets, and the State promotes micro-agriculture and craft production. It’s topography is key, as the steep hillsides that spring up from the landscape make industrial farming cost prohibitive.
Eden has about 4 acres (1000 trees) of holistically farmed trees, which borrows heavily on the work of biodynamics. Holistic management hinges on viewing the orchard itself as a living organism and promoting biological diversity. As Pucci describes, “”they use natural pest deterrents like neem oil and Liquid Fish to cultivate active microbes and encourage orchard health. Admittedly, the yields are much less than you’d get from more conventional methods, but the juice is amazing, and the quality is a hallmark of Eden Specialty Ciders.”
Eden’s work wouldn’t be possible without a tight network of small farmers who grow beautiful heirloom fruit. There is a mutual dependency in these relationships, as Eden could not make their ciders without these apples, and the farms wouldn’t be commercially viable unless their heirloom varieties were fueling the passion projects of Eden. One major contributor is the historic, eco-certified Scott Farm, is growing over 130 apple varieties over 36 acres. Most of the Kingston Blacks, which made up about a quarter of the Brut Nature blend, are grown in these orchards.
Cidermaking
The heirloom blend is naturally cold concentrated before fermentation and infused with red currant and blended with a touch of ice cider. It is slightly carbonated to create a light sparkle.
Cider Apples: 90% heirloom apples (Esopus Spitzenberg, Calville Blanc, Hudson’s Golden Gem, Roxbury Russet, Blue Pearmain, Baldwin, Macintosh, Empire, Ashmead’s Kernel, Black Oxford, Reine de Reinette, Orleans Reinette) and 10% red currants
Tasting Note
This cider burts with red fruit, rose petals and a touch of sweet apple fruit. Roses, strawberry, watermelon and citrus jump from the glass.
Food Pairing
Like Brut Nature, the Imperial Rosé is wildly versatile, and perhaps even more so with it’s hint of residual sugar. Go highbrow with grilled Tuna or salmon, or throw it in a picnic basket to pair with cold chicken or a roast beef sandwich on crusty bread.
Color
Rose
Appellation
Vermont
Farming
Eden has about 4 acres (1000 trees) of holistically farmed trees, which borrows heavily on the work of biodynamics. Holistic management hinges on viewing the orchard itself as a living organism and promoting biological diversity (think biodynamics without the witchcraft). Eden's work wouldn’t be possible without a tight network of small farmers who grow beautiful heirloom fruit. There is a mutual dependency in these relationships, as Eden could not make their ciders without these apples, and the farms wouldn’t be commercially viable unless their heirloom varieties were fueling the passion projects of Eden.
Alcohol
11%
Suggested Retail Price
$19.99
