What Is Cofermentation? And 4 Cofermented Drinks to Try

In the wide world of drinks, coferments are the Wild West: a new frontier, unbound to
any rules, and super exciting. As winemakers grapple with climate change and a growing preference for low-alcohol beverages, these buzzy pours represent a new direction, both in flavor and industry impact. Made by letting grape juice ferment alongside juice from apples, quince, or cherries and other fruit, coferments are hard to categorize but easy to enjoy. Is it wine? Is it cider? Who cares?!

At Wild Arc Farm in New York’s Hudson Valley, winemaker Todd Cavallo has been using coferments to broaden the conversation about what counts as wine since 2018. Cavallo and other winemakers see the blending style as an insurance policy against the mounting threat of climate change. “In years where there are frosts or major crop issues for grapes, people have leaned more toward making ciders or coferments,” he explains. “If we can’t make wine one year, we still have to survive—the resilience from having a broader palate of fruits to work with is beneficial.”

“Apples are ultimately cheaper than wine grapes, which means people who use them together have less at stake financially,” says Aaron Brown of Sonoma-based Bardos Cider, which produces several wines in this style widely known as fruit-grape coferments. “They can use natural yeast, they can let fermentation take time, and that’s what’s fun about making these wines. Coferments are especially popular with drinkers looking for light, glou-style, low-alcohol drinks.”

Photograph by Andrew B. Myers, Prop & Food Styling by Kelsi Windmiller

Coferments We’re Wild For

Ashanta Virga Morada 2021
Healdsburg, CA, winemaking duo Chenoa Ashton-Lewis and Will Basanta created this Syrah and Pinot Noir blend (sourced from the Ashton family vineyard in Sonoma Valley) with Gravenstein apple juice from nearby Bardos Cider. The resulting wine sings with bright notes of sour cherries and raspberries before making way for a striking earthy finish. $32; ashantawines.com

Revel Cider Soif
At just 6 percent ABV, Soif would be super drinkable even if it didn’t taste
like the first day of summer. A blend of two ciders aged on cherries and strawberries, with a hit of red wine skins for added body, this dry and tart rosé-esque bottle from Ontario, Canada, is the definition of a crowd-pleaser at an accessible price point. $18; revelcider.com

La Montañuela Los Enamorados 2021
Mentored by famed natural winemakers Deirdre Heekin and Caleb Barber, Colombian Camila Carrillo celebrates Vermont’s orchard fruit bounty. Los Enamorados uses 26 apple varieties native to the region, with a backbone of La Crescent, a white grape packing peach and apricot notes,
dancing alongside pineapple and honey notes from Frontenac Gris. $58; thirstmerchants.com

Bardos Saint Cabora
Sonoma, CA, Bardos Cider often works with older orchards and upcycled grapes. The team runs aged apple cider over pomace (the stems, pulp, and skins left behind after pressing grapes for wine) from Bucklin and Bedrock wineries. This is a slightly fizzy sip with dried cranberry and dehydrated strawberry flavors, plus bold earthy notes from Grenache and Syrah. $23; thirstmerchants.com