Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia’s Secret Stash of Craft Beverages
Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - The Rise of Cider in Virginia
Virginia may be better known for its wine, but the Old Dominion State has also witnessed the rapid rise of craft cider over the past decade. Hard apple cider has deep roots in Virginia, with the first English settlers planting apple orchards as early as 1607. But Prohibition delivered a major setback, and cider all but disappeared in the state for most of the 20th century. The modern cider revival didn’t kick off until 2011 when potter Chuck Shelton founded Albemarle CiderWorks, launching the state’s first licensed cider plant since Prohibition.
Shelton revived antique cider apple varieties like Harrison and Hewes Crab that had nearly vanished but possessed an ideal blend of tannins, acids, and sugars for cider making. Other pioneering cideries soon followed suit, with names like Blue Bee Cider, Bryant’s Cider, Buskey Cider, Castle Hill Cider, Copper Fox Distillery, and Bold Rock Hard Cider. According to the Virginia Cider Association, the state now boasts more than 25 cider producers, with many more in the planning stages.
So what accounts for cider’s newfound popularity? Industry experts point to the overall explosion of the craft beverage movement and consumers’ thirst for options beyond beer and wine. Cider’s gluten-free appeal has also attracted health-conscious drinkers. But make no mistake, these aren’t the sweet, mass-produced ciders of yore. Today’s artisanal ciders highlight Virginia-grown apples and complex, dry flavor profiles.
As Shelton told Virginia Wine Lover magazine, “The ciders being produced by the new generation of cider makers are like fine wines, meant to be savored and contemplated.” Virginia’s cidery boom has benefited from the state government’s support, including the Cider Reimbursement Grant Program launched in 2016. The initiative refunds qualifying cidery expenses like equipment purchases and taproom remodeling costs.
Another factor is cider’s suitability for Virginia’s climate and terrain. The moderate temperatures and abundant rainfall produce ideal growing conditions for heirloom cider apples. Small-scale orchards can thrive on plots unsuitable for large-scale vineyards. Farmers are also diversifying into cider apples as a value-added product.
What else is in this post?
- Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - The Rise of Cider in Virginia
- Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Exploring Local Orchards and Tasting Rooms
- Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Visiting Charlottesville: A Cider Lover's Paradise
- Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Savoring Crisp, Dry Ciders in Northern Virginia
- Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Searching for Tart Cherry Ciders Near Shenandoah
- Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Checking Out Cideries Along the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Bringing Home Bottles of Small-Batch Goods
Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Exploring Local Orchards and Tasting Rooms
Albemarle CiderWorks helped catalyze the cider revival by planting one of Virginia’s first new cider apple orchards in a generation. Visitors can wander among 25 acres of rare varietals like Harrison, Hewes Crab, Roxbury Russet, and Yarlington Mill that impart distinct flavors. Summer “twilight tastings” feature cider paired with wood-fired pizza amid the orchard’s rolling hills.
In Northern Virginia’s Fauquier County, Cobbler Mountain Cellars offers a “blend your own cider” experience from estate-grown apples. Guests select from varieties like Arkansas Black, GoldRush, and Winesap to create a customized dry or semi-dry cider to take home. Owners Kim and Chuck Jones provide blending guidance honed through their backgrounds as winemakers. Beyond cider, Cobbler Mountain also makes award-winning wines and brandies from local grapes and apples.
For a farm-to-glass experience, head to Sly Clyde Ciderworks overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. Visitors can meander through the orchard and see how apples are pressed on-site into original ciders. Flagship options like the dry-hopped Hopped and the cherry-infused Cran-Apple Cider offer tangy refreshment after a day spent hiking and sightseeing. Ask about Sly Clyde’s hard-to-find ice cider, an apple dessert wine made from juice concentrated by freezing.
On the outskirts of Richmond, Buskey Cider celebrates the apple in all its forms. Sidle up to the tasting bar in their cozy taproom to sample a rotating lineup of creative ciders. Perennial favorites include the semi-dry Apple and the hop-forward Hopped, along with rotating seasonal offerings like cinnamon-spiced Winter Spice. Buskey also runs the only dedicated cider bar in Richmond, The Cidery, with local draught options and a shop selling cider to go.
Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Bold Rock Hard Cider pours drinks with million-dollar views. The sprawling campus includes a production cidery with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the mountains. Grab a flight in the tasting room or take it outside to the patio’s rocking chairs. Year-round offerings range from the refreshing Crisp Apple to the honey-infused Virginia Apple. Limited releases like the bourbon-barrel aged Maple Bourbon Cider keep things interesting for cider connoisseurs.
No cider tour is complete without a trip to Albemarle CiderWorks, where owner Chuck Shelton started it all. Pull up a chair by the pond and tasting room, backdropped by a historic barn built circa 1820. Albemarle’s signature ciders highlight heritage Virginia apples, like the tannic Harrison and the aromatic Hewes Crab. For a touch of sweetness, try the slightly honeyed Ragged Mountain. Shelton enjoys educating guests through informal orchard tours and cidermaker discussions.
Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Visiting Charlottesville: A Cider Lover's Paradise
Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia and picturesque wine country, has fast emerged as a can’t-miss destination for craft cider enthusiasts. The surrounding Albemarle County claims more than a half-dozen cideries crafting complex, nuanced ciders from Virginia-grown apples.
For an inside look at the cidermaking process, tour the Albemarle CiderWorks production facility and orchard. Owner Chuck Shelton will guide you through the ciderhouse stacked with aging oak barrels. Outside are 25 acres of heritage cider apples like Hewes Crab and Harrison, explaining how varietal selection creates unique flavor profiles. Cap your visit with a flight featuring Albemarle’s flagship draft ciders.
Just south of town, Bold Rock Hard Cider pours its popular Virginia Apple and seasonal specialties against a breathtaking Blue Ridge backdrop. Relax in a rocking chair on Bold Rock’s patio and take in the panoramic mountain views while sipping your flight. For a special tasting experience, book a private session in The Reserve to sample limited releases like bourbon-barrel aged Maple Bourbon Cider.
In Ivy, Potters Craft Cider presses apples from Virginia's first certified organic orchard into crisp, balanced ciders. Flagships like the floral Flora and the hoppy Galaxy blend optimal apples with ingredients like honeysuckle and Mosaic hops. Ask about Potters' Handmade series for delicate ciders fermented in clay vessels. Outdoor picnic tables make an ideal spot for sampling flights of these complex elixirs.
For urban cider sipping, hit the taps at Durty Nelly's Cider House in downtown Charlottesville. Sit at the bar or grab a booth in this cozy pub stocked with a rotating list of Virginia ciders. Pair pours like Buskey's hoppy IPA-style Hopped cider and Sly Clyde's cherry-infused Cran-Apple cider with Irish pub grub. With 24+ taps devoted to cider, you’re guaranteed to discover new favorites.
Just north of Charlottesville, Glass House Winery’s cider annex pours flights and pints of its orchard-fresh beverages. Produced from estate-grown apples, clean, balanced options range from the dry Skyline Ridge to the blueberry-cinnamon Blue Ridge. For a food pairing experience, try the Cider 101 Tasting, combining four ciders with gourmet small plates. Finish with a pour of Glass House’s cider-apple brandy for an after-dinner treat.
To sample more regional cideries, visit the Blue Bee Cider taproom tucked into an Ivy shopping plaza. Its namesake Blue Bee cidery jazzes up local apples with ingredients like hand-crushed elderberries and wildflower honey. Pull up a stool in Blue Bee's sleek tasting room for three- and six-cider flights of these artisanal elixirs.
Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Savoring Crisp, Dry Ciders in Northern Virginia
While Charlottesville anchors central Virginia’s cider culture, the northern part of the state boasts its share of fantastic producers crafting drier cider styles. Thanks to abundant local orchards growing cider apple varieties like Harrison, Hewes Crab, and Yarlington Mill, Northern Virginia cideries can create crisp, nuanced flavors that highlight the fruit.
Head to Cobbler Mountain Cellars in Delaplane for a memorable cider experience. Owners Chuck and Kim Jones bring decades of winemaking expertise to their meticulously crafted ciders. Their “blend your own” offerings allow guests to combine estate-grown bittersweet, bittersharp, and culinary apples into a customized dry cider. With guidance from the Joneses, you can taste how varieties like Arkansas Black, GoldRush, and Winesap impact a cider’s structure.
Nearby in Marshall, Foggy Ridge Cider specializes in complex English- and French-style ciders made from local heirloom apples. Sip on flagship bottles like the dry Serious Cider and the slightly bubblier Sweet Stayman backdropped by panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. For a food pairing experience, Foggy Ridge’s monthly cider dinners match multiple courses with ciders curated by cidermaker Diane Flynt.
Oasis Winery & Vineyards in Hume sates cider cravings at its cozy tasting room bar. Their line-up spans dry to semi-sweet poured for sampling flights or full glasses. Compare the drier, acidic Virginia Pippin to the honeyed Sweet Virginia made from local apples. Oasis sets itself apart by distilling some ciders into apple brandy like the award-winning Coppermine sheds light on this ancient distilling tradition.
Casanel Vineyards & Winery near Leesburg crafts gold-medal ciders and apple wines from estate-grown fruit. Pull up a stool in their rustic tasting room styled after a Tuscan farmhouse for a flight or glass. For a dry option, savor the aromatic Estate Reserve packed with complex tannins. The semi-dry Apple House Blend balances tart and sweet with crisp acidity. Beyond cider, Casanel’s apple wines make a tasty change of pace, highlighting heirlooms like Stayman and Arkansas Black in wines ranging from brut to ice styles.
In Middleburg, Terrapin Station Cider tantalizes taste buds with small-batch ciders. Sip local varieties like the semi-dry Climbing Tree, packed with rich tannins, at a picnic table outside its tasting room housed in a rustic 1760s log cabin. For a signature experience, create your own six-pack of ciders to enjoy at home. Terrapin Station also offers hard-to-find heirloom apple brandy for spirit enthusiasts.
Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Searching for Tart Cherry Ciders Near Shenandoah
The Shenandoah Valley’s blend of mountainous terrain, moderate rainfall, and rich soil produces ideal conditions for growing apples and other fruit. Local cidermakers have leveraged these natural advantages to craft refreshing ciders tapping into the tart cherry’s versatility. Within a short drive of Shenandoah National Park, creative cideries are blending heirloom apples with Montmorency cherries and other fruits to provide drinkers with complex flavors and unexpectedly dry finishes.
At Valley Road Vineyards in rural Middletown, winemaker and cider aficionado John King had long noticed wild cherry trees growing near his vineyard. He decided to forage the tart Montmorency cherries and add them to a semi-dry cider base of Hewes Crab and Winesap apples from nearby orchards. The result was Cherry Bomb cider, an instant hit with its vibrant ruby color and bright cherry aroma leading to a clean, refreshing mouthfeel. As wine writer Paul Rice notes, Cherry Bomb “drinks more like a pinot noir than a cider” with pleasant acidity balancing the fruit. Beyond Cherry Bomb, Valley Road's cellar also houses barrel-aged Ice Cider and other small-batch experiments.
Further south in Rockingham County, Bryant's Cider blends apples from its estate orchards with other local fruits to tantalize tastebuds. For cherry lovers, Bryant's award-winning Sour Cherry cider marries apples with sour pie cherries from Peakside Orchard in West Virginia. Pressed apples provide the base while juicy cherries deliver a touch of tartness, reminiscent of sour candy. The cidery describes Sour Cherry as "reminiscent of cherry pie without being too sweet." Bryant’s patio provides a scenic spot to savor Sour Cherry’s bright acidity.
Just over the border in West Virginia, Hawk Knob Appalachian Hard Cider & Mead mixes Montmorency cherry juice into its flagship Almost Eden cider. This semi-dry blend combines freshly pressed apples with just a kiss of cherry sweetness, without becoming cloying. Delicate cherry notes mingle with wildflower honey character in the finish. For an in-depth tasting experience, schedule a private or semi-private session in Hawk Knob's loft space, and try Almost Eden alongside owner Lewis Newman's array of ciders and meads.
South of the Shenandoah Valley in Bedford, Apocalyptic Cider Works dreamed up Dirtnap: a tribute to the cherry orchards of nearby Nag's Head. Brewmaster Joe Allen blends apples harvested just down the road with Montmorency cherry juice and MADscientist black cherry wine yeast, which accentuates the fruit's natural tartness. Fermented in oak barrels, Dirtnap opens with bright cherry aromas before tapering to a dry, slightly funky finish.
Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Checking Out Cideries Along the Blue Ridge Parkway
Winding through the mountains of Virginia for 469 miles, the Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The Parkway offers stunning vistas from its scenic overlooks and provides easy access to trails, waterfalls, and historic sites. For cider lovers, it also serves up several can't-miss producers crafting world-class cider from heirloom apples grown in the surrounding valleys and foothills.
Ivy's Potters Craft Cider, just minutes off the Parkway, presses apples from Virginia's first certified organic orchard into balanced, floral ciders. Clean, approachable offerings like Flora demonstrate Potters' focus on allowing the fruit itself to shine through. Just down the road, Glass House Winery's annex specializes in small-batch cider made from estate apples. Pull up a chair in their intimate tasting room for flights of crisp, dry beverages like the subtle Skyline Ridge. Across town, Blue Bee Cider infuses local apples with elderberry, ginger, and wildflower honey in its funky, forward-thinking ciders.
Further south in Amherst, Sly Clyde Ciderworks overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains and crafts adventurous offerings from estate apples. Their tap list features year-round staples like the dry-hopped, IPA-inspired Hopped cider alongsidelimited releases like a tart cherry-spiked cranberry cider. Outdoor picnic tables scattered among Sly Clyde's orchards provide a scenic place to savor a sampling flight.
No Parkway road trip is complete without a visit to Bold Rock Hard Cider, which boasts facilities in Nellysford and Mills River, North Carolina. Both outposts pour Bold Rock's signature Virginia Apple cider with a backdrop of stunning mountain scenery visible through each cidery's soaring windows. Grab a flight on the patio or book a private Reserve Tasting of limited releases like the tequila-barrel aged Agave cider.
Continuing south, Urban Orchard Cider Co. is tucked into the walkable and artsy downtown of Waynesville, North Carolina, minutes off the Parkway. Sample a lineup of creative concoctions like the hoppy, botanical Mad Joy cider in Urban Orchard's sunny tasting room. Ask about their selection of hearty cider doughnuts, the perfect pairing for your flight. A few miles away in Canton, Noble Cider's industrial-chic taproom showcases an array of dry, balanced ciders crafted from North Carolina apples. Flagships like the clean, citrusy Standard Bearer exemplify Noble's minimal intervention philosophy.
Cider Country: Unlocking Virginia's Secret Stash of Craft Beverages - Bringing Home Bottles of Small-Batch Goods
As Virginia’s cider revival blossoms, more and more producers are bottling their wares for enjoyment at home. While the charm of sipping cider straight from the source can’t be matched, grabbing some bottles lets you support local cidermakers while enjoying their creations after visiting hour.
Bold Rock Hard Cider, for instance, offers six packs and cases of their signature Virginia Apple and rotating seasonal ciders at both their Nellysford and Mills River taprooms. Quinn and his wife Joy love keeping Bold Rock’s bluegrass-themed variety packs stocked in their cabin’s retro fridge near the Blue Ridge Parkway. “Cracking open a cold Bold Rock on the porch at sunset with mountain views never gets old,” Quinn says. “The bottles are the perfect memory from our Parkway road trips.”
Albemarle CiderWorks helped catalyze Virginia’s modern cider revival, so no cellar is complete without their bottles. Grab a case of Albemarle’s crisp Harrison cider made from antique apples after a tour and tasting. Heather fills her Charlottesville fridge with their Ragged Mountain and Hewe’s Crabapple ciders to savor between visits. “I’m obsessed with Hewe’s Crabapple since the mouthfeel is so unique,” she says. “Having bottles around means I can enjoy it anytime.”
Beyond Bold Rock and Albemarle CiderWorks, Virginia offers no shortage of bottled options. New cidery Blacksnake Meadery’s wildflower honey-infused ciders come in 12 oz. bottles or crowlers to-go. Lexie recommends picking up their flagship Serpent’s Kiss. “With hints of orange blossom honey, Serpent’s Kiss is refreshing but complex enough for beer lovers,” she says.
Jason brings home wax-dipped bottles of Foggy Ridge’s Serious Cider and Sweet Stayman from rural Floyd County. “Savoring those ciders made me appreciate how apple varieties and terroir impact flavor,” he says. “Now I try to replicate cider tastings in my living room.”
For funky ciders with an urban vibe, Richmonder Andie grabs crowlers of Buskey Cider’s mango-hopped IPA-style cider. “With creative flavors like mango and citrus hops, Buskey’s ciders will satisfy any craft beer fan,” she says. “Crowlers keep them tasting super fresh.”
Over in Blacksburg, Hokie fans like Tyler stock up on Sly Clyde Ciderworks’ 12 oz. cans. “Sly Clyde’s stellar dry-hopped Hopped cider is available in cans, which is perfect for tailgating,” Tyler says. “My friends and I buy cases before every home game.”