Vermont: Enticement Alley-Part 2

Further up Rt.100, you must stop at Cold Hollow Cider Mill. They produce fresh apple cider, one of the few mills that presses year-round. Their cider is still made the old fashioned way, with a rack and cloth press which was built in the 1920's. You can even watch them making the cider. Their cider is a blend of about 80% MacIntosh and 20% other varieties of apple, depending on what is available.

They also sell plenty of other local specialty foods as well as honey. You can actually watch their bees inside a large glass case. Plus, they have a bakery which sells a variety of pies, and unique items such as pumpkin rolls, maple cream cheese pockets, and apple-cheddar squares. But what really excited me were their Cider Donuts!

You can watch them making the cider donuts, and you can buy them while they are hot and fresh. This is an old donut making machine and above you can see where the process starts. The batter is placed into the large bowl, which then drops donut-shaped batter into the hot oil.

The cooked donuts then come out the other side, where they are removed by one of the workers. The donuts remain plain, without any covering of sugar or cinnamon. But they don't need any added sweetness or flavor. They are perfect as is, with a rich apple flavor, slightly crispy exterior and a soft interior. They certainly are some of the best cider donuts I have tasted, and they are obviously best when fresh. But, I brought some home and I just had to microwave them briefly to make them warm and tasty.

If you continue a bit north on Rt.100, you will come to Stowe, where I stumbled upon an intriguing wine store, Fine Wine Cellars. It actually is located in a cellar as you can see below.

You have to do some maneuvering around to check out their selection but it is worth the effort. They have an intriguing selection of wines from all over the world, and are definitely a boutique wine store. I found a Saintsbury Pinot Noir at a very nice bargain price. It was fun to search their shelves, to see what I might discovery. Wine lovers should stop here and see what might interest you.

Rt.100 has plenty of other places you might find interesting, and all you have to do is look outside your car window to see the choices. You might want to pick up one of the attractions maps as well, which detail all the places you might want to check out.