The new distillery at Mazza Chautauqua Cellars in Mayville, NY, will release its first fruit beverages, called "Eau de Vie," over Labor Day Weekend. Popular in Europe but new to the United States, "eau de vie" or "water of life" is made from regionally grown fresh fruits in a hand-crafted, copper pot still. Mazza will introduce plum, cherry and apple varieties. Mayville, NY (PRWEB) August 26, 2006 -- The distillery at Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, which opened this summer in Mayville, NY, will release its first, distilled fruit beverages over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-4.
Picked at the moment of peak ripeness, the regionally grown fruits have been gently crushed and distilled in Mazza’s two-story, hand-crafted, copper pot still imported from Germany, then bottled as “eau de vie,” a French term for a distinct class of spirits that, loosely translated, means “essence of life.” Plum, cherry and apple varieties will be available.
Popular in Europe since the 17th century, eau de vie has only in recent years been introduced in the United States. Unlike brandy, which is distilled and aged for years, often in oak barrels, eau de vie is meant to be sipped while it is still “young” so that you can enjoy its lively, fresh-fruit aroma.
Visitors to Mazza Chautauqua Cellars can sample three different varieties of eau de vie for a nominal fee, refundable upon purchase of one bottle or more. Tempting slices of cheesecake and other sweets are available in a café that adjoins the tasting room. Eau de vie is often paired with desserts.
Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, distillery and café is the latest in a long line of innovations by North East, Pa., vintner Bob Mazza and his family. Located on a five-acre property that includes an outdoor terrace, pond, and beautifully landscaped grounds, Mazza Chautauqua Cellars evokes the European countryside.
“Expanding into New York was a natural,” says Bob Mazza, who established Mazza Vineyards with his wife Kathie in nearby North East, Pa., in 1972 and has longstanding relationships with area fruit growers.
Mazza Vineyards was the first Pennsylvania winery to pioneer ice wine, a rare and distinct wine that results from pressing grapes while they are still frozen. The winery also broke new ground with its line of sherry and port, opening new markets for Mazza and other Pennsylvania wineries interested in producing fortified after dinner wines.
Now the Mazzas’ son Mario is infusing the business with fresh, new ideas like making eau de vie.
Mario returned to the family business in December 2005 after earning a master’s degree in enology and viticulture at the University of Adelaide in Australia and an engineering degree at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland. For two years he worked alongside some of Australia’s most experienced winegrowers in the Barossa Valley, where distilling is an important part of an expanding wine and grape industry.
After being open only three months, Mazza Chautauqua Cellars' 2005 Reisling was voted the best semidry riesling in a competition sponsored by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.
In addition to its own wines, Mazza Chautauqua Cellars will also be importing wine from Australia and producing an additional line of distilled beverages, including liqueurs, to be released in 2007.
Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, distillery and café is located less than half a mile from the entrance to Chautauqua Institution and is open seven days a week for tastings, lunch and desserts. A private meeting room and upstairs deck are available for bridal showers, small family gatherings and business meetings of up to 25 people.
For more information, call or visit Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, 4717 Chautauqua Stedman Road, Mayville, New York, 716-269-3000.
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