Colleen Finnegan gave her husband a fruit press as a birthday gift nearly a decade ago. Her husband, Josh Johnson, grew up with garagiste cider and wine production at home, courtesy of his father, so beverage artisan was in his blood. With the release of the couple’s first vintage of Finnegan Cider in 2010, the Lake Oswego, Ore., cidery recently planted its own 2,000 acre orchard, just up the street from its main source of fruit, Skurdahl Orchards.
Finnegan, a physician, and Johnson, a neurologist, also have taken an experimental route to their production, posed on a scientific hypothesis: what will slowing down fermentation and lowering temperatures do to the cider? In a slowing process that undernourished the yeast thus keeping temperatures low, the trial resulted in residual sugars when bottled, allowing the juice to go through a secondary fermentation in the bottle and produce effervescence as well as unique intricacies (much like the traditional production of Champagne). A solid example of the Finnegan style is the Semi-Dry cider: balanced with steadfast apple aromas and flavors, yet with the funk and skunk of secondary fermentation adding a rustic nose. Lively skin tannins provide a rugged texture up front but the cider finishes round in a gentle, honeyed sweetness.
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