The barn and tasting room Saturday at Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery at 152 Fairfield St. in Oakland during Maine Open Winery Day. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
OAKLAND — A large, old barn with green doors stands among swaying trees and under a scorching sun. A sign hanging from the barn’s façade reads, “Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery.”
In celebration of Maine Open Winery Day on Saturday afternoon, Bruce Olson, owner of Tree Spirits at 152 Fairfield St. in Oakland, has prepared his business to host a wine tasting for local folks, much like many wineries across the state.
Wendy Burton pours water over a sugar cube and into a sampling glass of absinthe Saturday at Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery at 152 Fairfield St. in Oakland as part of Maine Open Winery Day. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
As a celebration of the state’s wineries, Maine Open Winery Day seeks to encourage people to visit local winemakers and try different products made using ingredients sourced from within the state.
“The truth is we don’t know how many people will show up,” Olson said. “Yesterday (Friday), with the rain, it was packed because people had nothing to do. Today (Saturday), it is sunny, so they might decide to come taste wine or go to the beach.”
Olson’s words served to summarize the biggest challenge facing local wineries in Maine: Capturing and keeping people’s attention.
“It is hard to ask people to buy fruit wines, which many are not open to try because it’s not the typical grape wine,” he said. “So, we try to indulge the customers through the wine tasting experience. People come in, they try different wines — maple or apple or peach. They ask about the process involved and then, if they like it, they buy it.”
The fanfare around wines usually revolves around wines made from grapes, the most common option worldwide. The problem with making wine from grapes in Maine, however, is the state’s cold weather makes it difficult to grow grapes.
Olson said this obstacle led to creation of Tree Spirits. He said his wife, Karen, was reading an article about people making their own wines and suggesting it to him.
“The wine we used to drink had gone from $8 to $12,” Olson said, “so we decided to make our own.”
He said he would drive to Boston to buy grapes brought in from California. He would then drive back and make wine in Oakland.
“You can imagine how not fresh those fruits were by the time they were used,” he said.
Sarah Skillern samples a beverage Saturday at Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery at 152 Fairfield St. in Oakland as part of Maine Open Winery Day. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
To get around this, Olson decided to use locally sourced fruits.
Being a state where agriculture flourishes, Maine has witnessed recent growth in wineries that utilize a wide range of fresh produce to make wines and other spirits.
Olson said he and his wife go through meticulous processes to produce the 15 items on their menu, including wines, brandies and absinthe, an anise-flavored spirit derived from several plants.
In the back of their barn, they have three large fermentation tanks and a tank for distilling the fermented substances. The ingredients are mixed with sugar and fermented for weeks. They are then distilled down.
Olson said he and his wife further age the distilled material for about six weeks to bring more color to products.
Tree Spirits is the first distillery in New England to produce and sell its own absinthe, according to Olson.
“We had to go through a lengthy process of getting approved, and now we sell our own,” he said. “The thing about absinthe is people are fascinated by it, but 85% of people who try it don’t want it. But it gets them through the door to look at other things.”
The sign outside the barn and tasting room at Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery at 152 Fairfield St. in Oakland during Maine Open Winery Day. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
The barn’s garage door was open Saturday afternoon, and a table inside was decorated with bottles of different sizes and shapes. There were maple, apple and pear wines, along with decanters and a small glass jar containing sugar cubes.
“Wendy, we have humans,” Olson announced upon seeing his first customers of the day.
Wendy Burton, a part-time employee who handles the distillery Saturdays, smiled broadly as she welcomed the guests.
“I don’t help them make wines, but from time to time I do drink it,” she said, as she seated the couple on small wooden stools.
The table in the barn was also stacked with bottles of brandy and orangecello or limoncello, which are wines often served after a meal or between courses.
The couple, Sarah, and Robert Skillern, said they are Texans who are in Maine for work — helping to build solar farms in nearby towns.
Robert Skillern, a former scout in the U.S. Army, regaled the small crowd with the story of how he first tried absinthe years ago in Egypt.
Bottles of limoncello and orangecello at Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery at 152 Fairfield St. in Oakland during Maine Open Winery Day. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
“They had a mixture of drinks on top of which they were pouring absinthe on sugar cubes and lighting it on fire,” he said, then setting aside the absinthe and explaining he preferred the maple brandy.
Burton and Olson served the drinks and informed visitors of the ingredients, the best food pairings and some random facts, such as “absinthe was loved by artists and writers,” “cello is an Italian version of sorbet that has 30% alcohol” and “Hemingway was a big fan of absinthe.”
The event was organized and marketed by the Maine Winery Guild, an organization working to support local wine businesses.
“This day, at least everyone can agree that they are going to be open to wines and bring something to the table,” Olson said. “Some wineries are offering food pairings, some are offering music. We get some exposure out of it, and people can come together and enjoy.”
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