Virginia Wine TV Winemaker Series: Castle Hill Cider & Kvevri
On a very windy day, we visited Castle Hill Cider to discus cider and Kvevri with cider maker Stuart Madany. While sipping a glass of Levity, their flagship sparkling Virginia cider made from 100% Albemarle Pippin, we learned how the operation started and about their use of ancient Kvevri terracotta vessels. Kvevri are the original containers in which humanity first created wine some 7,000 years ago in the Caucasus Mountains. And Castle Hill is the sole operation to utilize these vessels in the United States and the only cider maker worldwide. They are helping to preserve history considering that there are only a few artisans still alive who produce Kvevri.
Castle Hill
One of the most significant historic estates in Virginia and certainly in the county of Albemarle, Castle Hill boasts both 18th and 19th century construction with the clapboard Georgian portion (c. 1764) and the brick Federal style portion (c. 1824) seamlessly married together by a spacious center hall. The home has been meticulously renovated to incorporate the history and integrity of those eras with today's modern convenience and amenities. Thomas Jefferson was a frequent visitor in his day. Formal gardens and perennial paths adorn the grounds, w/ a pool and pool house, guest cottage, detached garage, and a state of the art horse barn and dependencies. Under conservation easement to the Nature Conservancy.
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