Nestled in the picturesque landscape of the Columbia River on the border of Oregon and Washington, Son of Man Cider has quietly cultivated a reputation for exceptional Basque-inspired ciders. At the helm is Jasper Smith, a passionate cidermaker dedicated to honoring the unique traditions of Northern Spain.
With characteristics like Barrel aging and native fermentation, some would consider Basque-style Cider more wine than cider; thus, this interview was right up our alley. We’ve attended several of the quarterly events–complete with an Asador grill and long pour samples of the current release ciders direct from the foudres.
It was an absolute treat to sit down with Jasper to explore the story behind the cidery and his unique approach to crafting these beverages. Read on below as we delve into what makes Basque cider unique and hear how the nuances of Jasper’s craft sets his cider apart.
Wine Scribes: How did you find yourself here in Cascade Locks?
Jasper Smith: We knew we wanted to be in the Gorge. Originally, we were looking in Hood River, but then we were introduced to the Port of Cascade Locks that had all this land and plans to develop a large building on the waterfront. It was great timing because we got to them after they had funding but before they poured concrete, so we had them customize things like adding drains and a bay door.
Wine Scribes: This is a great big space. What size production were you when you first moved in?
Jasper Smith: In 2018 we started with two 7500 liter tanks, a 2500 liter tank and one foudre. We had Graham from Buona Notte Wines sharing the space along with Bethany Kimmel from Color Collector. One piece of advice I received early on is to get a space bigger than you need. Moving sucks and no one wants to move after they start [production]. If things go well, you’re going to outgrow your original footprint.
We’ve been lucky to grow organically and added capacity every year; more tanks and more foudres. We also have an awesome wine club that has grown over time, with half of the members within 50 miles and the other half from all over the US.
Wine Scribes: You also use the space to throw super fun quarterly events (we’ve attended several). Can you talk a little bit about that? And what’s stopping you from throwing them more often? Asking for a friend.
Jasper: Yeah, we get a bunch of people in here and have a big party! We open up the foudres for tasting and put a grill outside and serve Basque-inspired cuisine. We have them a few times a year and they sell out fast; partially because we only do so many of them.
I would like to do more [events], but we’re a team of two; if we scaled up our team and infrastructure down the road, then maybe we could throw more events.
Wine Scribes: Do you see your style of barrel aging and native fermentation as very different than the typical cidermaking out of Portland or Hood River?
Jasper: Yes. A very high percentage of ciders made in America use eating apples from Eastern Washington; Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Cosmic crisp and so on. These varieties are great to eat, but never meant to be fermented.
These apples start in huge, high-yield orchards that are located in the middle of a desert, in an arid climate. A ton of river water and fertilizer is required for things to grow. It’s not environmentally friendly nor natural, as apples would never grow here on their own; they tend to grow in in relatively cool, temperate coastal climates: Northern Spain, Western France, The Gorge.
Wine Scribes: Wow, did not realize this. So the apples are grown at masse in a desert.. and then what happens?
Jasper: The farmers sell the apples to the packing houses, who then put the fruit in an altered atmosphere: Refrigeration, sucking out oxygen and pumping in nitrogen. With no oxygen exposure, apples can last up to five years.
Wine Scribes: So that’s why we get “fresh” apples in the grocery store, even though October was the likely pick date?
Jasper: Right. That apple may be from several years ago. You never know. I mean, it’s cool technology and it keeps the supply chain moving. But what happens next is that a portion of the apples are turned into juice stock or concentrate. A centrifuge is used and one company based in Wenatche takes this apple syrup and sells it as the “base cider juice” to most producers.
Wine Scribes: Kind of like in the wine world where you can buy bulk juice instead of starting with grapes..
Jasper: Right, but even more soulless. With wine, it’s coming from Syrah or Pinot; even if it’s large bulk, it’s still juice from wine grapes–grapes meant to be fermented into wine. To be analogous to mass cider production, you’d make wine from Concord or Thomson seedless grapes [versus vitis viniferia, the grape species most commonly used in winemaking].
So that juice gets delivered on the tanker load and you are forced to sign a waiver acknowledging that the acid levels are so low that they added a ton of malic acid. Then you just add whatever yeast you want, sometimes sugar, sometimes water. And then the end result is basically hard seltzer.
Wine Scribes: This explains why we don’t like many of the ciders we’ve tried. What’s your process like to seek out fruit? I assume you’re not shopping at the mass producing warehouses in Wenatchee..
Jasper: No, not at all. We work directly with small farmers and the majority of the fruit comes from Easy Orchards in Keizer and then three small growers in Hood River. These apples have lower yield, flavor is concentrated with great acidity and tannins; they are ideal for fermentation and consumption via cider.
The downside [to this strategy] is that we pay anywhere from 20-40x as much per pound versus if we bought the eating apples from Eastern Washington. But the apples we buy are interesting, characterful, provide flavor, aroma, texture in the cider; eating apples don’t.
Wine Scribes: How did you know which apple varieties to work with?
Jasper: Because so few people are making cider like us here in the PNW, there were no baseline rules as to which apples to use. We have a cidermaking partner in San Sebastian named Guillermo; he visited and tasted through all the apples that were available to us and had strong opinions on which apples were most similar to the varieties that they use in Spain.
In the beginning we started with 25 different varieties and over time we’ve developed an opinion on which are the best types and shrunk down the potential pool of varieties. It’s fun to figure out what apples are best for what we’re trying to do.
Wine Scribes: That does sound really fun! You mentioned your partner in San Sebastian; can you tell us more about your inspiration behind Basque-style cider?
Jasper: We fell in love with Basque cider for a trifecta of reasons. First, its naturalness: No additives, made seasonally from cider specific apples; Just apples and time. We found the idea that people should expect more from cider compelling.
Second, its food friendliness. Basque food is awesome, and the cider culture developed in tandem to the food culture. We loved the idea that this cider was meant for a meal – not just cheese. Grilled meat, fresh seafood, umami laden roasted veggies – all of these are perfect pairings for basque cider.
Finally, the democratic nature of the product. Despite the fact that it’s made like wine, is served at Michelin starred restaurants in Basque Country, it’s meant to be enjoyed everyday. We wanted to show people that you can have awesome cider, made with intention but without pretension. The cider we make is an agricultural product that can and should be enjoyed now, with friends, family and a tasty bite.
For more information, find Son of Man Cider via their Website and Instagram.
