Drinks

Putney Bubbly Sparkling Cider

Putney Mountain Winery, Putney, Vermont

The apple wine business is a second career for Kate Dodge, a lawyer by training, and her husband, Charles, a former Dartmouth professor. As with many of the makers featured here, it began for them as a hobby. In the late 1990s, inspired by some graduate students who had brewed their own beer, Charles decided to try it himself. Driving past an apple orchard every day on his way to and from work, he was struck by a thought: Why make beer from ingredients that need to be imported to Vermont when we’ve got plenty of apples right here? Shortly afterward, Putney Mountain Winery was born.

After a decade of trial and error, the hobby became a full-fledged business, and the Dodges quit their day jobs to pursue wine making. Today they produce nine wines, two liqueurs, and three juices, including their non alcoholic sparkling cider, whose ingredients are simply fresh apples and bubbles. No sugar, water, or preservatives are added during the carbonation process, allowing the rich, crisp flavor of the heirloom apples to take center stage. This isn’t merely some syrupy alternative for the kids—it’s a genuine sipper, even without the alcohol.

The company’s Putney facility is a certified “Vermont Green Business” and fully solar-powered, and the apples it uses are sourced from a variety of farms in the area. “We believe the best-tasting products are local and don’t have to travel to get here,” Kate says.

Suggested retail $7.99 per 750 ml. bottle. Available at the winery’s tasting rooms in Putney, Windsor, and Quechee Gorge Village, as well as at the Brattleboro Farmers’ Market and many local food stores and co-ops in Vermont. putneywine.com

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