WATERBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Friday marked National Apple Cider Day, and there’s no shortage of it in Vermont. Elissa Borden visited Waterbury’s most famous cider makers for a visit.
Where there are apples, there is apple cider. And just like maple syrup, there’s no shortage of the sweet stuff in the Green Mountains.
“Well, freshest Vermont apples possible — that’s what makes our apple cider here as great as it is,” said Dan Snyder, the new owner of Cold Hollow. The Waterbury business has been an institution since 1974, and in the past half a century or so, they believe they’ve figured out the secret to a delicious batch.
“Vermont is definitely a great producer, but I think our old rack and cloth, tried and true method of pressing the cider just produces the best apple cider possible,” Snyder said. He maintains they have the best cider in the state. “The first thing I’m looking for is the bite. You know, that feel in the back of your mouth that kind of makes you pucker a little bit, it’s a little bit of acidity. And then, I’m looking for a nice sweetness.”
Snyder took over the operation at the end of October but his roots go back further than that. He grew up on an upstate New York tree farm with apple trees aplenty. “I’d go out and trim the apple trees and took interest in that and started growing apple trees from seed and grafting when I was younger. People joke that I was born and training for this from a young age,” Snyder said. He also spent six years building up Stowe Cider, where he met the former owners of Cold Hollow, Gayle and Paul Brown. Snyder says the sale has been in the works for a long time. “It’s just a very dynamic team, a dynamic business, and I’ve always wanted to be a part of that.”
With no major changes on the way, Snyder says they’re working to bring back Cold Hollow cider into stores for the end of the year. But for now, anyone who wants a taste of the good stuff can find it on Route 100.
And you don’t need to wait for National Apple Cider Day to celebrate a glass, because Vermont’s cider is delicious all the time.
Related Story:
Cold Hollow Cider sold to new owners
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