WHY CIDER MAKES SENSE
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BY JESSICA ZIMMER
n Michigan, cider makers and winemakers have been talking for decades. Both industries date
back more than a hundred years, with Michigan being America’s third largest producer of apples and eighth largest producer of wine grapes. Recent partnerships have resulted in collaboration between professionals from both industries. It can be di cult to distinguish who concentrates on which beverage. Michigan’s license for a cidery is called a Small Wine Maker license. Some businesses make both cider and wine, said Dr. Nikki Rothwell, co-founder of Tandem Ciders in Suttons Bay. Rothwell is also the coordinator of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center for Michigan State University.
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