Rack & Cloth

Located in the tiny town of Mosier, Oregon outside of Hood River, Rack & Cloth is the place to go to taste craft cider. Named for the style of the traditional small cider press they use to produce all of their juice, Rack & Cloth is hands on from start to finish in the process--from sorting their own fruit right off the orchard to feeding all the apple pomace from the pressing to the livestock who in turn fertilize the trees. Rack & Cloth press and ferment the cider only once a year in autumn when the apples are at their peak ripeness. The fruit is washed and hand sorted, then pressed with the cider press. It is then fermented in various vessels, the smallest being a 30 gallon oak barrel and the largest being a beautiful 50hl French oak Foudre imported from the Médoc. The cider is allowed to ferment slowly, often taking up to three months to finish, and the results are pretty impressive. In addition to the cidery, owners, Silas and Kristina operate Pomona’s Branch Farm which grows everything from asparagus, peaches, apricots, vegetables, and flowers to eggs, pigs, and lamb. Wednesday through Sunday evenings, Rack & Cloth offers a small menu of seasonal farm-to-table foods and retail sales of fruit, vegetables, and eggs--be sure to stick around for pizza cooked in the brick oven and a cider or two with live music on Sunday nights.