Why Virginia is a cider enthusiast’s paradise

The cider industry – a delightful drink made by fermenting apple juice – is flourishing in Virginia.

This success can be attributed to the increasing number of cider makers who meticulously analyze production methods, exploring flavor profiles to find the perfect complementary ingredients and identifying the apple varieties that thrive in Virginia’s rich, fertile soils.

“In the last decade, the count of cideries in the US has surged from 200 to 1200,” states Michelle McGrath, CEO of the American Cider Association. “We’re witnessing more producers fully commit to understanding apple varieties and their potential, and Virginia excels in this area. These cideries are dedicated to experimentation, constantly exploring new apple varieties, production methods, and packaging options.”

Diane Flynt, a specialist in Virginia’s cider industry and founder of Foggy Ridge Cider, concurs. “What sets Virginia cider apart is the emphasis on experimentation and the connection to the fruit and terroir,” she explains. “In the last decade, more cideries have begun cultivating their own fruit and sourcing apples grown in Virginia. The trend is shifting towards ciders that genuinely reflect the region, its varieties, and growing conditions, favoring careful fermentation over added sweetness.”

Virginia has long been a hub of apple-related innovation, with early cider enthusiasts like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. In the late 1700s, they planted some of the first apple trees in the state, specifically the Newtown Pippin varietal, during a time when hops were the favored crop, influenced by German immigrants' beer preferences.

The Pippin apples became popular not only in America but around the globe, even catching the attention of Queen Victoria, who abolished the import tax on this varietal in 1838. Today, Virginia ranks sixth among U.S. states in apple production, though until recently, most were used primarily in baking. The rise of cider-makers advocating for Virginia-grown apples has significantly boosted the state's reputation in the cider industry.

The apple aficionados transforming Virginia’s cider landscape

A fantastic starting point for an apple-centric adventure in Virginia is Potter's Craft Cider, an innovative cidery housed in a century-old church near Charlottesville. While we can only speculate what Thomas Jefferson and George Washington would think of the agave-infused ciders available at the taproom, it’s likely they would be quite impressed.

Potter's Craft is the perfect place to discover what makes Virginia’s cider scene unique. Founders Tim Edmond and Dan Potter, who met at Princeton University, bonded over their passion for home brewing, and their experimental philosophy is mirrored by many cider makers in the region.

After a career in finance in Washington DC, Tim traded investment strategies for apple cultivation and co-founded Potter’s Craft Cider with Dan. Longing for rural life, their moment of inspiration came from home-brewed cider. “In 2011, the few existing cideries were producing generic sweet varieties,” Tim recalls. “When Dan fermented some Virginia apples from a farmers’ market into a dry cider, I had never tasted anything like it. I knew this was our direction.” Their dry, zero-carb ciders, with no added sugar, quickly became popular.

Their commitment to innovation didn’t stop there. Tim and Dan invested in advanced equipment to fully utilize Virginia’s apple potential and drew inspiration from local winemaking techniques. “Just as the right grapes create a fine Sauvignon Blanc, apples can produce wonderful flavors if their aromatic qualities are carefully extracted,” Tim explains, often working in the cidery’s lab, a whimsical space filled with high-tech instruments like spectrophotometers and microscopes.

Nevertheless, they pay homage to tradition, especially Virginia’s winemaking legacy. This past August, Tim celebrated the launch of the cidery’s first champenoise-style cider, crafted using a method typically reserved for sparkling wines. It was initially fermented in American oak barrels and employed yeast strains that enhance the apples’ distinctive flavor compounds found in champagnes. A secondary fermentation adds the essential carbonation.

According to Tim, their top-selling cider is the Sod Cutter, a tangy and sour beverage crafted with pineapple and agave. The Grapefruit Hibiscus cider, infused with grapefruit peel and hibiscus, closely follows in popularity. ‘We lack a long cider-making tradition in the US, unlike England,’ Tim explains, ‘but that allows us to experiment freely – we’re not shy about adding hops to our ciders or creating margarita-flavored varieties as we figure out our unique style.’

Blending tradition with fresh innovation and creative ideas

At Stable Craft, a vast brewery and cidery located in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, the expanding collection of award-winning ciders is just one of the many attractions – visitors can also enjoy stays in cozy cabins surrounded by apple trees, complete with patios adorned with Adirondack chairs. While many local businesses provide guided tours of Virginia’s cideries, the convenience of being a short walk from the tasting room certainly enhances the experience.

Stable Craft, a brewery established in 2006, is a relative newcomer to the cider world, expanding from beer into cider production in 2019. When head brewer Tony Zappaunbulso joined in 2020, he discovered that Virginia’s water was ideal for crafting cider. “For brewing beer, you need water rich in minerals,” Tony explains. “However, Virginia's water is quite neutral, making it a blank slate.” Despite the water's low mineral content, Stable Craft’s beers have won numerous awards, which simplified Tony's task of creating unique cider flavor profiles. In 2022, their peach-infused cider, Just Peachy, won Best Cider of the Year at the Brewski Awards. “We recently crafted a Moscow mule-inspired cider with hints of ginger and lime,” he shares. “For Cinco de Mayo, we created a mango habanero version.”

At Albemarle Ciderworks in North Garden, Virginia, owner Charlotte Shelton dedicates her efforts to heritage apple varieties that thrive in the region. The beautiful property features a stunning barn-like tasting room popular with hikers and is surrounded by rolling hills and expansive apple orchards. Its proximity to several vineyards – one just a 15-minute stroll away with accommodations – allows Charlotte and her team to attract wine enthusiasts curious about the rising acclaim of Virginia ciders.

“North Garden may not have a stoplight, but it boasts three wineries and a cidery!” Charlotte notes. Appropriately, Albemarle Ciderworks focuses on heritage varieties, located near Monticello, where Thomas Jefferson cultivated 18 types of apple trees. This cidery adopts a traditional approach to cider-making, crafting sweeter ciders that blend carefully chosen apple varieties, as opposed to incorporating cocktail-like ingredients that some experimental cideries favor.

Albemarle Ciderworks collaborated closely with the late Tom Burford, one of the world’s leading pomologists, and Charlotte, who recently returned from a cider-focused research trip to Bristol, England, serves on the board of the United States Association of Cider Makers. This traditional approach showcases the richness of Virginia’s cider scene – there’s space for every style.

Tim and Dan from Potter’s Craft Cider, for instance, initiated a research exchange program that allows others to learn from their experimental methods. They believe this initiative will help cultivate a distinct regional identity for Virginia cider, one increasingly characterized by innovative techniques, non-traditional flavor profiles, and practices inspired by the wine industry.

A healthier choice for everyone

While cider is often high in carbohydrates and sugars, Virginia’s forward-thinking cider makers are catering to a new wave of health-conscious consumers by producing low-carb and low-sugar options. Tristan Wright, founder of Alexandria’s Lost Boy Cider, Virginia’s inaugural urban cidery, discovered his passion for cider due to health reasons. Diagnosed with coeliac disease, he had to eliminate gluten – common in most beers but absent in ciders. “My wife encouraged me to start brewing my own, so I began in my kitchen.” He transitioned from banking to cider-making, furthering his knowledge with viticulture studies at Cornell University, highlighting the strong winemaking influence among Virginia’s cider producers.

“People often link cider with fall, which always frustrates me,” Tristan shares, noting that he sources his apples from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. He has challenged this notion by crafting seasonal ciders like the spring-inspired Cherry Blossom, featuring cherries and jasmine, and the invigorating Ciderita, made with limes and Himalayan salt.

For further evidence that Virginia’s cider makers are driven by passion rather than profit, consider the logo of Lost Boy Cider. “It features a young boy with his sleeves rolled up, ready to stomp on an apple,” explains Tristan, whose ciders now reach 38 states. “I believe the apples found me when I was feeling down, so the name signifies that it’s perfectly fine to lose your way – to embrace that journey and keep moving forward.” I think cider enthusiasts across the nation are quite thankful he did.