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ABOUT TOWN
SUPER SIPS: Anna’s Cider’s crisp Hazy Dry (left) and aromatic Rosé Cider have become favorites among craft brew drinkers.
Later, he joined Topa Mountain Winery as head winemaker, where he continues to work while producing Anna’s Cider — a passion project which has evolved beyond his wildest dreams.
“My whole life has evolved around wine,” Dominic says. “Cider was something that Anna and I could do together. Cider seemed like a natural progression for us. We wanted to do something to make a family business.”
FRUIT WITHOUT THE FUNK
“Historically, cider is the American drink in many ways,” Dominic explains. “Apple orchards . . . planted here in America are for cider production.”
Dominic says that his background in wine has primed him for success as a cider producer. “I know I can take this ancient craft and put my winemaking twist on it.”
Anna’s Cider is known for its semi-dry concoctions — a far cry from apple juice, and developed to appeal to beer drinkers . . . and themselves.
“We didn’t like a lot of the ciders we tasted,” Dominic confirms. “They tended to be really sweet and kind of boring.”
From the beginning, the O’Reillys aimed to develop something interesting, with greater depth and more nuance…similar in some respects to wine. Something that would appeal to a connoisseur. They’ve achieved that goal with ciders that are clean and fresh, fragrant and delicate — fruit forward without a lot of sugar or additives.
“We want our ciders to be really clean,” Dominic adds. “Something very pure . . . [that] doesn’t have funky, off flavors . . . sort of like French farmhouse cider without the funky stuff.”
Anna says that their ciders are often compared to a sparkling wine. “It’s one of the most common comments we get. It’s like champagne or a really light beer. It has a nice, light, natural carbonation.”
Anna’s Cider uses Braeburn apples as the “backbone.”
“It’s an old cider apple,” Dominic explains. “It tends to be very acidic. It’s probably 50 percent of the base.”
Other flavors and characteristics come in with Fuji, Granny Smith, Gala, Pink Lady and other varietals. All the fruit comes from family farms in the Sierra Foothills, San Luis Obispo County and San Diego. Crops are picked in the fall, but unlike other produce, apples can be stored — in cellars or coolers — and grow sweeter over time.
“We have access to fresh apples all year round,” Dominic confirms — which is strange to him as a winemaker, where much more delicate grapes need to be harvested and crushed right away before they rot.
RISING FROM THE ASHES
Anna’s Cider produced its first batch — about 30 gallons of cider, or 240 pints, made from 600 pounds of apples — in November 2017. A month later, nearly everything — facility, equipment, inventory — was lost to the Thomas Fire.
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Anna and Dominic — parents to three children, with a fourth on the way — were bolstered by the support of the community, who rallied around them to donate to a Kickstarter campaign which allowed them to get back on track. In early 2018, they also added some partners to the business: Alex and Elaine Tombelli.
“We just needed more help with the business,” Anna acknowledges.
Alex Tombelli and Dominic have been friends for many years, working together at Owen Roe, Ojai Vineyard and Topa Mountain Winery. It was a perfect fit.
“Alex knows how to make cider,” Dominic says. “And he’s a craftsman; he knows how to build.”
In fact, Alex helped get the Anna’s Cider Tasting Room in Santa Paula ready for opening this summer. He built the beautiful patio, where the proprietors now serve customers, and the gorgeous live-edge table that has become the tasting room’s centerpiece. More importantly, the Tombellis’ involvement has allowed the O’Reillys to keep Anna’s Cider in operation
TOP RIGHT: The team enjoys takeout from neighboring El Capricho, which has worked with Anna’s Cider to create a custom menu for the tasting room. ABOVE: Alex and Elaine Tombelli. Alex’s craftsman skills are on display throughout the Santa Paula tasting room, including the large live-edge table that dominates the patio.
while they both continue to work at their “day” jobs — Dominic’s with Topa Mountain Winery, Anna as an online math teacher who mainly serves homeschooling families.
“We were doing Zoom classes before it was cool,” she jokes.
OPPORTUNITY ON TAP
Anna’s Cider acquired the space in Downtown Santa Paula — on Main Street near the corner of 8th — over a year ago with the intention of opening a tasting room. It took a long time, however, to work their way through “city bureaucracy,” Dominic says. But several months and two more kids later (for a total of five), the tasting room finally opened on Aug. 7.
“Opening up now, during COVID-19, I felt like a madman,” Dominic acknowledges. “It was the worst time to start a business. But we were sick of waiting. We’d been sitting on the property for months. And I was going stir crazy with nothing to do . . . and we thought other people might be feeling the same way.”
They were right: Craft brew lovers from across the county have flocked to Santa Paula, queueing up (socially distanced, of course) to partake in the cider revolution. 8
Two ciders serve as the company’s bread-and-butter offerings: the unfiltered Hazy Dry (crisp, dry, no sugar, unfiltered — ideal for beer lovers) and the rosé (fermented with cranberries and raspeberries, which give it a pretty pink color and fruity aroma).
The tasting room has given Dominic and Alex a chance to experiment as well. Once or twice a month they’re offering something special, bringing in local produce and herbs to make limited edition pours, like the pineapple habanero and cucumber ginger that were on tap for opening weekend.
“These pour out quickly,” Dominic cautions.
He hopes to continue adding new and different options to the list, including “heritage” ciders made from a single apple varietal. Fans can monitor availability at the Anna’s Cider Instagram page, and he’s always open to suggestions from customers. In addition, the tasting room offers Topa Mountain Winery wines (owner Larry Guerra has supported Dominic from the beginning — and sells Anna’s Cider at his Ojai tasting room) and light bites courtesy of El Capricho next door, which keeps Anna’s Cider in tacos, wings and other food.
“We’ve been doing rotating menus every single week, keeping it fresh and interesting,” Dominic says.
Future endeavors might include gourmet farm-to-table meals, live music and activities such as bocce ball. Just more opportunities for the O’Reillys to use their family business to build community. It is this community, after all, that helped Anna’s Cider weather some spectacularly difficult times.
As Dominic says, “We have a lot
Anna’s Cider 801 E. Main St., Santa Paula
805.421.8270 annascider.com
to be thankful for.” v
LIVING THE DREAM: Anna and Dominic O’Reilly have found an endeavor that allowed them to work together as a family.
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“NOT TRYING IS THE KISS OF DEATH”
Maestro Michael Christie embraces the new normal.
WBY NANCY D. LACKEY SHAFFER hen Michael Christie joined New West Symphony as music director in Your career absolutely spans the globe, with appointments 2019, he brought with him a Grammy Award, a career that spanned the globe in Phoenix, Brooklyn, Minnesota, even Australia. Did you from Minnesota to Australia, and more than two decades of experience con- see a distinct musical personality in each of these areas? ducting for opera and symphonies. A little more than a year after taking the My greatest realization over all of the years of travel and perhelm, he found his live performances canceled by the pandemic. Nevertheless, forming is that patrons attend whatever style of music they like Christie has rallied, engaging fans online through Zoom concerts with musi- because it connects with them emotionally, spiritually or even physicians performing from home, the friendly competition of “Battle of the cally. This is what connects us as human beings no matter where on Sections” and the online music and education events of the “Pleasure of Your the globe we live and regardless of our backgrounds. I am grateful Company” series (developed in conjunction with the New West Symphony to have experienced the different approaches both performers and League). His curated “Michael Christie’s Jukebox” playlist (available on both the patrons bring to concerts. These traditions/approaches are where symphony website and YouTube) shows the depth and breadth of the conduc- we diverge as humans to a certain extent, but at the same time there tor’s musical inspiration, with everything from Bach, Beethoven and Brahms to isn’t an Australian way to appreciate a performance that differs from The Beatles, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Dolly Parton. a Southern California way. Ultimately, experiencing music means a Amidst program development and planning for the 2020/21 season, great deal to people. Maestro Christie found time to talk to Ventana Monthly about emotionally connecting through music, the balancing act of working from home, classical You won a Grammy in 2019 for Best Opera Recording for The (R) music’s technological awakening and more. evolution of Steve Jobs with the Santa Fe Opera. What’s it like to
Tell us a little about your life previous to New West Symphony. Winning a Grammy is euphoric. I feel very honored to be among incred-
I was born in Buffalo, New York to a music- and arts-appreciating family, ible artists that were just as deserving, and of course it was a thrill to come but not to performing artists. The first instrument that I became proficient on out on top. I was in Macy’s Department store in Chicago buying brown socks is the trumpet. (My biggest life regret is not to have taken piano studies more when the awards were announced! It was a very cold February day and I vividly seriously!) My parents were diligent about making sure my siblings and I had remember standing outside taking dozens of calls after we won. It was amazing. exposure to a wide range of artistic and sporting experiences. I attended Oberlin One of the remarkable things about being part of the creative team and bringing College Conservatory of Music in Ohio as a trumpet player and left a conduc- a new work to life is working closely with its composer and librettist and, to a tor! After winning a prize for “Outstanding Potential” at the First International certain extent, creating the traditions that will influence future performances. A Sibelius Conductor’s Competition in Helsinki, Finland in 1995, I went on to little slower here, faster there; amp up the emotion at this critical moment are become the principal conductor/chief conductor/music director of many ensem- discussions you can’t have with Beethoven or Aretha Franklin now. To have bles before arriving at the New West Symphony. These included the Queensland that connection with the creators is remarkable, but also very humbling. Orchestra in Brisbane, Australia, the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, the
win a Grammy?
Brooklyn Philharmonic, Phoenix Symphony and Minnesota Opera. Your first concert with New West Symphony was “Rhapsody in
Blue” in October 2018, when you were still in the running for music What originally drew you to New West Symphony? director. Why did you select this particular piece?
I appreciated that they were looking for a curatorial presentation style One of my guiding principles when working with an artist like pianist along with significant conducting experience. When we discussed developing Kevin Cole is to establish and understand their artistic strengths and priorities. an audience with an open and welcoming disposition, I knew this was going to Kevin has made it his business to know exactly how Gershwin interpreted his be a perfect opportunity to develop fun relationships with the community and own music and the DNA of Gershwin’s musical language. I knew Kevin would bring the enjoyable experience that I have with many ensembles and artists to bring that authenticity to his performances and would beautifully blur the line the table. between jazz and symphonic concert music. He was fabulous. 8
