The first 26er of the 2024 challenge was the Prairie Star Mimosa. It uses a combination of apples from Sammascot and Prairie Star Grapes from Northern Cross Vineyard in Washington County.
This was a fun one for us, as Northern Cross was the first New York winery we visited, back in 2019, as part of the Capital Craft Beverage Trail. The owner is passionate about grapes and wine, and especially about figuring out how to make it work with the varietals of grapes that grow well in our area (rather than trying to mimic the styles that grow well in France or California). We learned a great deal on that visit.
The Prairie Star grape is a hybrid, developed for growing in the colder climates of Minnesota, so it also grows well in upstate New York. It’s a white wine grape, and that lends itself well to creating some of the flavors you’d look for in a mimosa.
In that respect, the cider really hit the nail on the head. Drinking it really felt like drinking a mimosa: a soft citrus flavor along with the bubbly dry flavor and feel of sparkling white wine. It was quite enjoyable. My only complaint was that I would have liked a bit more intensity in the flavor, and the finish was just slightly bitter. Overall though, this was a good cider to kick off the challenge.