Black Star Farms Shares Their Hot Spiced Cider Recipe

Via A Celebration of Autumn!

1 bottle Black Star Farms Hard Apple Cider

6 oz. water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

a couple sprinkles of ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and give it a good stirring. Heat gently (for approx. 30 minutes), but do not boil, and do not stir again. Skim off the spices on top, serve and enjoy.

Forty-Five North Winery Awards

Steve Grossnickle at Forty-Five North has an update on awards his winery has won this year. See: Forty-Five Carat!

San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

* Gold - Hard Cider
* Bronze - 2007 Pinot Gris
* Bronze - 2007 Reserve Chardonnay

Finger Lakes International Wine Competition

* Gold - 2008 Nouveau Pinot Noir Rosé
* Gold - 2008 Select-Harvest Riesling
* Silver - 2007 Cabernet Franc
* Silver - 2008 Pinot Gris
* Silver - 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling
* Bronze - 2008 Unwooded Chardonnay

Pacific Rim International Wine Competition

* Best of Class - 2008 Pinot Noir Rosé
* Gold - 2007 Reserve Chardonnay
* Gold - Peach Crémant
* Silver - 2008 Pinot Gris
* Silver - 2008 Select-Harvest Riesling
* Silver - 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling
* Silver - 2008 Unwooded Chardonnay

He's also enthusiastic about the quality of this year's white wines.

Little Green Jugs At Left Foot Charley's

Lots of good news from Traverse City's urban vintner. See the RE story: Winery now using taps, growlers

The winery, at the Grand Traverse Commons, will also use beeswax to seal its bottles.

The winery plans to sell one-liter, refillable "Little Green Jug" growlers. Customers can also bring in their own bottles...

...On tap, Left Food Charley will start with Pinot Grigio and Riesling and a hard cider.

Official site: Left Foot Charley

Via UpNorthFoodies

Hard Cider

Northern Michigan has a growing list of options for hard apple cider.

Blackstar Farms has Hard Apple Cider.

Tandem Ciders recently opened in Suttons Bay (See: Hard Cider Revival)

And Mother Earth News recently had an article on creating your own hard cider.

See: Make Your Own Hard Cider