Brewvine: Labor Day Festivities at Townline Ciderworks

If you’re looking for something to do this Labor Day weekend, Townline Ciderworks has a weekend full of live music, great food and their tasty ciders and wines.

Whitney Amann and chief photojournalist Jeremy Erickson take us there for this week’s Brewvine.

“It does look like fall around here because the apples are getting really ready and ripe, but the weather does feel like summer,” said Kristie Altonen, co-owner and tasting-room manager at Townline Ciderworks. “So it’s kind of the last hurrah, so to speak, before we start all things fall.”

Trees heavy with apples fill the “South Farm” Orchard at Townline Ciderworks. Those apples will soon be turned into one of their new, delicious premium ciders.

“We have a line of ciders called South Farm Select,” said Altonen. “We have three different farms in the area along us 31. This particular site is called our South Farm, and this is where we grow almost all of the cider apples that we put into our product. So cider apples are different than eating apples so they can be sharp or bitter and they provide a different mouthfeel than typical desserts eating apples. The South Farm Series concentrates on ciders made with those particular cider varieties. But we’re focusing on this line. And how’s it a little more premium, more of our, I guess you would call it estate variety ciders.”

You can grab a can of their “fresh strawberry” or their “labor of love” made from 100% Montmorency cherry juice, or try a crisp, colorful creation.

“So one is called Bulmer’s Purple and that has a Bulmer’s Norman Apple and it has some blackcurrant in it too,” explained Altonen. “So it’s really bold, really almost a concentrated flavor, a little bit sweet, a little bit tart, really dark purple.”

Townline keeps their beautiful venue busy with events, live music, food, fun and even fashion.

“So we try to have a resident food truck every summer and they’re here as long as they can be, weather permitting,” said Altonen. “So we’ve been thankful to have a brand new local taco truck this year. And then we also have a tiny traveling boutique coming out. Toni runs a little boutique out of a cute, little remodeled camper, vintage camper.”

And all of it is paired with products fresh from the family tree.

“You’re sitting right where the apples are grown that go into our product,” Altonen said. “You can sit outside and enjoy the view and enjoy a glass of cider or wine.”