Just as the word “fine” is applied to wine and cuisine made with extraordinary ingredients and expressive outcomes, we think the term should apply to comparable cider, too. Other terms are used in the U.S. marketplace – “Heritage”, “Harvest-Driven” and “Orchard-Based” among them – but stirred in part by Felix Nash’s book Fine Cider, we think “Fine” reflects our ethos best. We’ve added the word “American” because it also fits our approach – namely, cidermaking that’s inspired by global styles but interpreted liberally, that makes proud use of native varietals, and offers flavors that (typical of American cuisine) are unique, bold and adventuresome.

Most of our apples are grown and harvested at three local family farms: Bishops' Orchard in Garfield WA, Topcliffe Farms in Prosser WA, and Century Steep Orchards in Othello WA. Other apples (especially crabapples) are sourced from O’Brien Farms and Bailey Nursery in Prosser WA. For many of our select club offerings, we work with Steury Orchards in Potlatch ID.

Pressing, fermentation and cellaring, bottling and labeling - everything is made in our downtown Spokane production facility, just behind the tasting room. (Visitors, ask your server for a quick tour!)

Like wine, fine ciders can't be rushed. Fermentation often takes three months or more, and we age our ciders (in oak or neutral vessels) at least three months beyond that. Some varietals, like our special Manchurian Crabapple cider, benefit from "resting" a year or more.

Absolutely. Apples have zero gluten, and we never add or include grain in any of our products.

Beverages with low sugar and carbohydrate content are generally seen as compatible with ketogenic diets. By these measures, dry ciders like ours may be considered Keto friendly. While we don’t measure carb content, dry ciders typically express carb values on par with sugar content. For this, our published specific gravity (S.G.) readings may be used as a guide, where one (1.000) represents a zero-sugar cider. Our natural yeast ferments typically finish at 1.006 S.G. or so, or roughly 1.5% sugar by total volume.