Only four cideries west of the Rockies use fresh juice for their cider. One, White Oak Cider , is located west of Newberg in Yamhill County wine country. Cidermaker Alan Foster first became interested in the beverage after a trip to England in 1973. He tried major ciders such as Strongbow and Gamers, then discovered farmhouse cider, made in much the same way it has been for several hundred years. They're higher in tannins, which adds to dryness and overall mouthfeel.
Cider can only be as good as what goes into it.
Making it with dessert apples, as many producers do, is like trying to make a pinot noir with Concord grapes. All White Oak ciders are fermented in oak barrels and bottle-conditioned. The Kingston Black has a sweet, honeylike nose, full fruity body and clove notes from the apples. Foster recently attended a course on cidermaking in France and England with Ron Irvine of Irvine's Vintage Cider in Washington. He hopes to release his own perry, made with traditional varieties of pears, after the first of the year.