On a recent visit to the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and the nearby Modern Art West gallery, I noticed a cider bar a few doors down that I'd not seen before. (It had been several years since I'd been to the town of Sonoma, my last visit having been pre-pandemic). I stopped in to
Pomme Cider Shop and Tap Room for a look around the clean, simply furnished interior boasting 18 taps at the bar and was impressed to find in addition to the offerings on tap a surprisingly large selection of ciders in cans and bottles from all over the world (although many are local). Co-owners Rick Tranchina and Jessica Olson-Ealy told me the Cider Shop and Tap Room opened in May 2022.
I struck up a conversation with Rick behind the bar and in passing mentioned I had made cider in 2013 from fresh apples and discovered recently that I still had several bottles of it unopened. I asked if cider develops in the bottle as many wines do. Rick was skeptical, but, he said "bring some in and we'll see" – which I agreed to do.
The cider I made in 2013 I fermented using Pink Lady apples from the tree in our garden, Golden Delicious apples from a friend's tree, and a small, astringent, unidentified apple variety from a tree on the property where my brother lives. De-stemming, peeling, pulping, and pressing the apples was a chore, as was picking up and returning an apple press rented from
The Beverage People. A few years later I made another batch of cider (in 2018) from local, unpasteurized apple juice, which was considerably easier. I fermented the fresh apple batch using an English cider yeast from White Labs sold refrigerated in a stoppered glass tube, purchased at Whole Foods. For the later batch I used a Mangrove Jack cider yeast in powder form.
On my second visit to Pomme, several weeks later, I brought a chilled bottle of each of the two ciders with me. Both had retained their carbonation, letting out a satisfying mist of gas when Rick popped the caps from behind the bar. He poured out a glass of each for me, and for himself, and I encouraged him to let the woman seated beside me at the bar try them as well as she had joined the conversation.
The older cider turned out to be in perfect condition and rather tasty. Apparently ten years in bottle had done no harm at least. It seemed nicely balanced to me, with attractive apple scents on the nose and, on the palate, it offered a good dose of apple sweetness tempered by some tartness and with a darker, liquorous quality on the finish with suggestions of caramel. Rick was impressed. He asked if he could share it with a couple of cider enthusiasts seated at a table near the front door that he said were regulars at Pomme and they, too, were impressed. Upon leaving, one of the patrons who had tasted the 2013 batch said she thought it among the best ciders she had ever tasted, which, I must admit, resulted in a little flush of pride in me.
The 2018 cider made from pressed apple juice was not bad, but it didn't have the nuance and length of the older batch made from fresh apples. Rick speculated that using the wild apples from my brother's yard added tannin to the 2013 cider that was the key to its presence and longevity. I suspect he is right.
A week later, I visited again to sample some of the ciders on tap and learned that cider today is being handled far more creatively than I had imagined. There are straight apple ciders and pear ciders as well as ciders co-fermented with a percentage of grapes to create cider–rosé hybrids. Some of the ciders are flavored with other fruits – a cherry–pear cider was popular on the day I visited. Some are fermented or aged in oak barrels for additional flavor enhancement. You could spend a lot of time here trying the more than 100 varieties on offer. Recommended. Well worth a visit.
Pomme Cider Shop and Tap Room is at 531 Broadway, Sonoma, CA, 707-343-7155) and Pomme has more than just cider, offering more than 20 Pét-Nats, grower Champagnes, rosés, and orange wines by the bottle. Some taps are kept just for beer and wine, and locally-made bites, charcuterie, and other nibbles are available as well. Open Sunday-Tuesday & Thursday 12-6, Friday 12-8, Saturday 11-8. Closed Weds. 21 and over.
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