We produce a variety of ciders – from everyday drinking ciders, to our rotating seasonal releases, to our single-varietal Estate Series, and are excited by new ideas and creativity when it comes to our recipes. With a nod to the early days of the cider scene and an appreciation for innovation and creativity, we take traditional hard ciders and put our own modern Vermont spin on them.
The Winery: Wilde Farm was a place long before it was a wine. Built in 1907 on the estate of Samuel Wilde, a successful coffee and spice trader, Wilde Farm began as a horse farm, with a generous kitchen garden of vegetables and herbs. It is of the Colonial Revival style popular at the time. The edifice itself is purposefully constructed, with hand-hewn floorboards, chestnut moldings, high, plastered ceilings and strong, honest lines. Much like its eponymous wine, the house was expertly crafted of honest materials and made to age gracefully. About twenty years ago, my wife and I took over custody of Wilde Farm. There we have raised three beautiful boys, in the only home they have ever known.
Wilde Farm makes wines from old vines and exceptional vineyards. Quantities are very small. Our wines are bright, balanced and made by hand. They emphasize a balance of acid and fruit. As an added bonus they age great.
Pax Mahle makes Wilde Farm wines. He has a light touch and a craftsman’s approach. Together, we work hard to ensure that Pax has the best materials available and that as a team we screw it up as little as possible. We source grapes from old vine, low yield sites, where soil, climate and honest farming practices allow for a full expression of the type of grape and the place the grapes come from. We only offer vineyard designated wines (so far).We pick when the grapes are ripe and ready. Yeasts are ambient, oak is neutral and fermentation happens at its own pace. We sometimes include stems in the primary fermentation, when it makes sense. We bottle our wines unfined and unfiltered. We sell them when we think they are delicious.
Winemaker’s notes: Vibrant and fresh with a compelling depth of aroma of effusive cinnamon laced black red & blue fruits. The palate is loaded w/ fresh fruit, spice and a supple core of spicier fruit. Weighty and textural this is really delicious served w/ a chill.
Alcohol: 12.4%
pH: 3.48
Cases Produced: 70
Fox Hill Vineyard: Wilde Farm Dolcetto comes exclusively from The Fox Hill vineyard, located just south of the town of Ukiah on the Talmage Bench. The soils are well-drained, with high concentrations of gravel and sandstone. Fig, apple and plum trees dot the grounds, as well as an acre of olive trees. The Dolcetto we source comes from the cooler, tree-shaded, north-west facing slopes. This wine goes through complete carbonic fermentation with native yeasts and is raised naturally for only 6 months in neutral french barrique with no sulfur added.
Free Long Trail Tasting! Friday, May 11 | 3:00 – 6:30 pm
Come sample some Vermont craft goodness! Check out the all-new Long Trail VT IPA, and sample seasonal faves including the Long Trail Cranberry Gose and Blackbeary Wheat.
Introducing our take on the hazy, hoppy style coming from the Green Mountains! Our brewers have been developing this recipe for the past year; playing around with yeast strains and hop combinations in search of a smooth, juicy offering that pleases palates.
With VT IPA they found the perfect balance of tropical fruit and citrus flavors through a heavy dry-hopping of Citra and Amarillo hops, which give distinct tangerine, mango, pineapple and grapefruit character.
The juicy hop profile is complemented by the grist, which features a heavy hand of flaked oats and aromatic Munich malt to deliver a smooth mouthfeel and hazy appearance. What sets this beer apart -aside from the soft bitterness – is the introduction of a new yeast strain that provides the beer with more neutral notes and juicy esters that enhance the hops.
There are some tasty ciders coming out of Roxbury Vermont these days! If you haven’t had a chance to try Tin Hat Cider, drop by the Beverage Warehouse on Friday May 4 from 3:30 – 6:30 for a sample of Teddy Weber’s traditional farmhouse ciders.
Cidermaker Teddy uses applied organic and permaculture techniques on his 25-acre heritage orchard, respecting the land and cultivating good soil and biodiversity. His goal is to find ways to work with nature, not oppress it, and focus on making cider in the orchard more than in the cellar.
Teddy himself will be on hand to answer your questions about cider, and to share these delicious bottles:
60 Days of Rosé | #08 | Amplify Wines | “Pink Flag” Rosé of Counoise | Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara County, California | $21.99
This wine is crazy. And by that we mean, crazy amazing! “Pink Flag” rose from Amplify Wines is really unlike any other rose we’ve tasted this year. I mean, that hazy crazy beautiful color alone is mind-blowing! When you pour a glass and hold it up to the sun, you notice how its silken texture flows and shimmers in the most summery, let’s-get-on-a-boat-right-now kind of way. Take a sip, and your palate is pleasantly shocked with an amped up grapefruit brightness, which is perfectly tempered by refreshing salinity and satiny, nutty richness. You should definitely drink it while listening to Wire’s influential album of the same name 🙂
How do they do it? Well, the way this wine is made is very, very unusual. Husband & wife winemakers Cameron & Marlen Porterage 50% of the wine under flor, using a method similar to that used to make Vin Jaune or Sherry. This contributes the sea salt, almond, saline character. The other half of the wine is more reminiscent of classic Bandol rosé. The marriage of these two styles makes for a very complete, savory rosé, one that expresses a new side of the Santa Barbara’s famed Camp 4 Vineyard through the Counoise grape.
Our enjoyment of this wine is even greater because of the ethos of Cameron & Marlen, who were born and raised in Santa Barbara County. They believe in native yeast fermentations; neutral vessels for fermentation and aging; no additions of any kind except for minimum effective sulfur dioxide; and farming that seeks to establish a healthy ecosystem, enhancing and supporting the natural characteristics of a given place.
The exploration, and elevation, of their California growing region has been their life’s work. They first bonded over a shared love for wine and music, and Amplify is a natural extension of this marriage between their two greatest passions. As winemakers, they seek to amplify the voice of site and enhance the most singular characteristics of a given vineyard, marrying a sense of place with a sense of style. They embrace the happy accident, letting intuition guide their hand, with their creative spirit and palates as their primary tools.
Amplify Wines “Pink Flag” rosé is extremely limited. The winery produced 81 cases of the 2017 vintages, and this is the first time it’s ever been available in Vermont. Only a handful of cases are available across the whole state! It’s hard to miss this wicked cool label on our expansive “wall of rosé” copper bar display – come and snag yours today!
