The New York Times called Washington’s Vashon Island a “rural throwback” in a March 2012 feature. Sure, the isle is home to only 10,000, has more than a dozen family-owned and-operated farms and everyone knows each others’ names (and business), but one of said farms is at the forefront of the latest in beverage production: cider. Named for the dragon who guards the apples of immorality in the Garden of Hesperides in Greek mythology, Wes and Laura Cherry’s Dragon’s Head Cider is all the rage for this island. However, in a truly humble small town fashion, the Cherrys keep it simple and sustainable, with only apples that they press, they ferment and they blend and bottle on their farm, which sports 1,500 cider fruit trees to boot. The Pippin Cider is made from one of the oldest American apple varieties, the Newtown Pippin, and it pulls through with prestige and grace. Balanced and bright, this cider is robust and elaborate.
