The Willamette Valley has long been known for its amazing fruit and nuts (watch “Portlandia” for some inside descriptions of the latter). And there is no better-known grower here than Trevor Baird, a 4th generation farmer near Dayton, OR.  Everything that he grows is simply amazing and if you go to one of our local Farmers Markets in the summer, you will see a huge line of people waiting patiently to be able to lay their hands on his exquisite fruit. 

 

Unfortunately for Trevor he also has a penchant for growing cider apples which famously don’t garner much money for those who grow them. However, in his zeal for such apples, he managed to find and plant some Asturian varieties which are of a different ilk because northern Spain has developed apples that behave very much like wine grapes with high acidity and substantial sugars. Because one of the main apples that he brings us behaves in this fashion, we make it into an apple wine that pairs amazingly with oysters and other shellfish.  It is called Piel de Sapo (“skin of the toad”, a description of this apple’s appearance) and it produces a beverage of uncompromising acidity and an alcohol of 8.5%.

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As far as his other produce is concerned, we prefer to simply eat his hazelnuts, cherries, peaches and nectarines rather than make them into wine!