Rockbridge Cider Vinegar is embarking on a new adventure in vinegar brewing. We are fermenting a NEW Asian Pear variety into Vinegar!
“Virginia Gold Orchard” - a local Asian Pear orchard here in Rockbridge County - has asked Rockbridge Cider Vinegar to brew some Asian Pear Vinegar. They gave us several bushels of their hybrid “Autumn Sweet” Asian Pear variety to ferment.
“Autumn Sweet” is an original, hybrid Asian Pear variety created by the former owner and founder of Virginia Gold Orchard, Sue Estabrook. It takes many years of careful, natural hybridization to create a new variety of fruit.
This is how the Autumn Sweet Asian Pear is described on the website: “Autumn Sweet is the most difficult to grow of all pears grown at Virginia Gold Orchard. Autumn Sweet is a russet, golden orange pear. It is medium to large in size with a slightly roughened skin. Autumn Sweet is very sweet and juicy.”
Eva and I are proud and excited to be the first to create vinegar out of a NEW Asian Pear variety. There will be no other fruit vinegar like it in the world. The adventure has begun!