Page 11 - The Valley Table - November/December 2020

photo courtesy of rose hill farm
nov – dec 2020 valleytable.com 9
GOOD STUFF
FRUITFUL FERMENTS
It was an abundance of leftovers that spurred Rose
Hill Farm owners Bruce and Holly Brittain to launch
Rose Hill Ferments. Five years ago, the duo made a conscious decision to shift their Red Hook farm toward more holistic, biointensive growing practices, with a focus on pick-your-own instead of wholesale distribution.
The move left them with a fair amount of surplus crop just begging to be used. So, they fermented it. After testing the waters with production in 2018, they released their first batch of ferments in January 2020.
Since its debut, Rose Hill Ferments has made a name for itself as a farm cidery and winery that’s dedicated to low- intervention, naturally fermented ciders, grape wines, and fruit co-fermentations. With each batch, the farm’s “make the most of what you have” mentality ensures that no two products are exactly the same and every season offers something new.
“We work with what the fruit provides us,” Bruce explains. “We ferment with naturally occurring yeast, and most of our products are fermented to dry. We experiment with long macerations, skin contact, whole fruit (carbonic)
fermentation, and co-ferments. Each product has its own, unique journey from fruit to bottle.”
With most of the ingredients coming straight from Rose Hill Farm itself, the Brittains have the figurative world
at their fingertips when it comes to experimenting with everything from easy-drinking ciders, like their signature Kitchen Sink, to one-of-a-kind fruit ferments. Their Pearly Dewdrops, for instance, is an ambrosial blend of plums, apples, apricots, peaches, and nectarines.
There are wines, too, and good ones at that. Their two pét-nats, Bird Bath and Lulie, the latter a collaboration with Kingston Wine Co., are sparkling blends marked for their pleasing, raw, unrefined, and unfiltered flavor.
To try some of Rose Hill Ferments’ products, shop the online bottle shop or drop by the recently opened taproom, the perfect place to sample Rose Hill’s small-batch sips before grabbing a bottle to go.
Rose Hill Ferments
14 Rose Hill Farm, Red Hook rosehillferments.com
—Sabrina Sucato