Naked Winery & Atlas Cider Tasting Event

the_hoppy_brewer_atlas_cider_and_naked_winery_event_
Join The Hoppy Brewer in a Naked Winery & Atlas Cider Tasting Event on February 9th. The Naked Winery has two locations within the Columbia River Gorge one on the Oregon side and the other on the Washington side. The Atlas Cider Co. creates their craft ciders in Bend, Oregon using NW sourced ingredients. Don’t miss this Naked Winery & Atlas Cider Tasting Event Thursday from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. Learn more about the Naked Winery & Atlas Cider Co. below.

Our Winemaking Philosophy

Our winemaking is focused on the fruit. We are blessed with beautiful berries and our job is to treat them with love, care and nurturing till they are in the bottle for your enjoyment. Our “Big” red varietals (Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Zinfandel) are grown in the hot and dry Applegate and Columbia Valley regions of Oregon and Washington respectively.

While our food friendly varietals (Albariňo, Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Blanc/Gris/Noir and Riesling) benefit from the cool pacific marine layers of the Willamette and Rogue Valley and Columbia Gorge to produce subtle and complex wines. New American Oak is used judiciously to develop bouquets that complement our “Bold” wines while mostly neutral French barrels provide complexity and layering for our fruit forward wines.

 

How is cider made?

Cider begins in an apple orchard. The apples are harvested by hand and then pressed into juice (fact- It takes about 36 apples for 1 gallon). No particular type of apple is better than another for producing hard cider, similar to how a cabernet red wine grape is not better than a white chardonnay grape. What matters is the blend the cider maker uses to balance the apples flavors and characteristics. Yeast is added to the fresh pressed juice and fermentation begins when the yeast cells begin to convert the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. An airlock is attached to the top of the fermentation vessel to avoid as little air contact as possible. When all the sugar is converted the cider is considered dry. Many regions of the world are known for different types with England known for dry ciders, France for sweet, and Spain for vinegar-like. The apple varieties used entirely depends on what taste the cider maker is targeting and the best ciders use a targeted blend. Blending is so crucial because it allows the cider maker to perfectly balence the sweetness, tartness, and dryness in the finished drink. Cider is a temperamental drink and difficult to get right as off-flavors can occur at any point during and after fermentation. Measurements of titratable acidity, PH, So2 and gravity must be carefully monitored and adjusted. Craft ciders tend to be less sweet, more complex, and made from local ingredients. In addition craft ciders are made from apples that are partnered with local producers while mass marketed varieties import juice and ingredients across the country. Months were spent by the ATLAS team testing and fermenting juices from numerous co-op farms before selecting our partners that we are glad to support and work with.

Stay updated on our live music, beer events, and home brewing club meetings by checking out The Hoppy Brewer Events Calendar.

SRC: Click to learn about the Naked Winery & Atlas Cider Co.