Monday, October 22, 2012

Chinese Apples and Wine


The world is a better place due to wineries and I am looking forward to the day when they are available on all country trips...well, at least that is my opinion. We stopped at this winery in the photo above in the apple country in Pennsylvania last week. It has only been in existence for about five years.  Yes, my European and South American readers can turn up their noses at this. We are babies in this industry, at least on the east coast, and  I admit, most of the wines reflect that in lack of sophistication.

This winery is called the Hauser Estate Winery and the building itself is brand new. I was told by the visitors center staff in the town when asking for directions to the winery to look for a lovely building on a hill. Well, one person's "lovely building" is another person's new and somewhat boring rock structure.  They do have the catbird's seat on the hill, though.


This view is across an agricultural area known primarily for its apple orchards.  One can purchase a glass of wine and sit out on a very large patio and drink in the scenery along with the fermented grape juice.  They even have shawls and wraps near the door to borrow on cold days.  On our day there was no need for anything but a light sweater.

But this post is more about the conversation that I had with the woman who poured our (my) wine.  (They have apple cider for those who want a less strong drink.)  She is the (one of the?) granddaughter(s) of the man who created Musselmans apple products in America, most famously you may know the applesauce.  Her mother and two aunts have built this winery as their new enterprise and 80% of the grapes they grow are used in their wine.  The daughter went on to say that they were moving into the wine industry because it now was cheaper to import apples from China to make applesauce then to grow them in our own country.  It now is cheaper to import apples from China to make applesauce in this country then to grow the fruit in our own country!  We no longer manufacture most things in this country...we don't even grow fruit economically it seems even with the rising costs of fossil fuels!  What would Johnny Appleseed say?  Or, perhaps, he viewed this on a much smaller more personal scale when he took his trek.

13 comments:

  1. Really? Apples from China are cheaper? Wow. Apples are so engrained in the American consciousness, what with Mr. Appleseed and all. That's truly shocking.

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  2. Anonymous1:30 PM

    Such a shame about the apple farming...

    Those autumn colours looks delightful.

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  3. What a sad state of affairs. I live next door to Washington State and they grow mighty fine apples there.

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  4. I believe it. Sad, I live in prime apple territory in WA state and apples are hideously expensive here. I'm planning on planting a couple of apple trees in my yard so I can have my own. They'll shade my windows in summer and hopefully bear fruit and lovely leaves in the fall.

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  5. Good Grief. Why am I even surprised?

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  6. What a view!!
    And doesn't everything come from China nowadays?? Sheesh
    Sad for sure
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  7. I buy apples from an orchard about 20 miles from my home and can my own applesauce or eat them fresh. And I know I'm not the only one. We have choices, buy local, eat seasonal please.

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  8. That is just plain sad. About the apples, I mean. More wineries strikes me as a good thing.

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  9. If I see two jars of applesauce and one is cheaper, I'd likely buy it, but if the marketer tells me it was grown here and especially nearby, I would and do pay more.

    I wonder if the Chinese apples are GMO? What are their regulations on pesticides?

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  10. I just love that time of the year in your part of the world (or thereabouts). We did a wine and apple harvest tour in Ithaca the year my daughter was married there.
    I liked the light white wines and all those wonderful varieties of apples, too.

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  11. Seems we are outsourcing everything. It is a mistake and I hope we change our ways very soon.

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  12. I do so agree with your opening sentence. A most interesting write.
    Incredible that it's cheaper to import Chinese apples, though!

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