A grape escape into apple orchards
In Niagara, the Fielding name has become synonymous with wine. But a little-known secret from president Curtis Fielding is that Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs weren’t his first drink of choice.
“I’ve always loved cider. I grew up stealing a couple of sips from my dad’s cider,” the Fielding Estate Winery president admits.
So, while grapes and wine have paid the bills for the past 13 years as Fielding, wife Heidi and the rest of the team at Fielding Estates have grown the business into one of the most prominent wineries in Niagara, he always had an itch to make hard apple cider.
That itch was scratched over the past year as Fielding has released its own cider, made from apples about as local as they come.
“They’re all local apples from around the corner,” he says.
Literally. One of the nice things about living in Niagara is that you’re never too far from an orchard of some kind. And as it happens, the Fielding property is right next to Mountainview Orchards.
Peter Feenstra, who owns the orchards, asked Fielding a few years ago about getting into cider. Obviously interested, Fielding says the time just wasn’t right as they were still focused on growing their wine brand.
Last year that time came. He told winemaker Richie Roberts of his plan, and Roberts did some studying.
Turns out, they were wellpositioned to enter the cider market.
“People associate cider with beer because of how people drink it, but it’s similar to wine in how its made,” says Roberts.
Fielding says he prefers a cider that’s more on the dry side, and that’s what the Fielding cider aims for: dry with just a little residual sugar.
The company made 3,000 litres this year and is nearly sold out of its first batch. It only sells the cider out of the winery, and doesn’t have plans to try to get into the LCBO any time soon. Still, it’s looking at ramping up production this year, possibly doubling production.
Fielding uses a variety of apples for its cider, and the president says the business is looking at trying a few more varieties this time around.
While only a few cases remain from its first batch of cider, Fielding says the winery expects to release the second batch beginning about February or March next year. The nice thing about apples, as opposed to grapes and wine, is that apples can be put in cold storage and cider can be made a little more “on demand” than wine.