Local pick: Hard cider flavored by Wisconsin
Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery began when Herdie Baisden and his wife, Carol Wiersma, purchased an 80-acre farm outside the village of Stockholm, Wisconsin. They dreamed of opening an apple orchard and joined both the Wisconsin and Minnesota Apple Growers Associations to gather knowledge from other growers.
They eventually began producing fresh-pressed, unpasteurized, non-alcoholic apple cider – using hard cider techniques. For several years, they won awards in the statewide Apple Cider Contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association.
As their products grew in popularity, the husband-wife team began to create a unique collection of premium hard ciders and wines, all produced from fresh local fruit. Today, Maiden Rock takes pride in their products being flavored by Wisconsin. All of their wines and ciders use juice from fruits that are locally produced in Wisconsin. Even the honey they use in some of their products is produced by the same bees they bring in to pollinate their apple blossoms.
Maiden Rock offers a wide variety of classic hard ciders, crafted in the farmhouse tradition of southwestern England, including their Scrumpy, Somerset Cider, Bitter Love, Lake Pepin, Kingston Black and, most recently, Honeycrisp Hard Apple Cider.
Looking for a unique way to serve your hard cider? Try a Ciderac Cocktail:
Ingredients
- Ice
- 1-½ oz. Bulleit Rye
- 2-3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
- 8 oz. Maiden Rock Honeycrisp Hard Apple Cider
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, sliced
Directions
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add Bulleit Rye and Peychaud’s Bitters. Top with Maiden Rock Honeycrisp Hard Apple Cider. Garnish with a slice of Honeycrisp apple. Makes one cocktail.
Look for Maiden Rock Hard Apple Cider in our Wines & Spirits Shops.