I’ve never been much of an alcohol drinker. Maybe I’m weird, but I’ve always disliked the taste. However, I recently discovered that the one alcoholic beverage I enjoy sipping is hard cider. Thus, I was intrigued when I discovered that November 15th-24th is Cider Week Virginia.
So, what exactly is hard cider, and why are we celebrating it for a week? Apparently, hard cider is actually a somewhat historical drink in America. A recent article from the Nelson County website explains:
“Cider is fermented apple juice just as wine is fermented grape juice. The best cider, just like the best wine, is carefully crafted from fruit chosen for cider making. In colonial America, fermented cider was the drink of choice. Thomas Jefferson’s champagne-like cider, made with Hewe’s Crabapples, was his “table drink”. Throughout the 19th century, growing apples and crafting cider from cider apples was an integral part of every community.”
I had no idea that hard cider was a staple of colonial America. I knew that Virginia is kind of overflowing (pardon the pun) with wineries, but apparently a lot of cideries are opening up as well. The following short article gives you a little more information on Cider Week, as well as a listing of Virginia’s current cideries:
Virginia Toast the Apple for Hard Cider Week
‘Tis the season to be jolly and… celebrate the coming of Virginia Cider Week, Nov. 15-24. (Wait, what did you think we were going to say?)
Hard cider fever is spreading (the tangy drink brings in more than $50 million in sales nationally), becoming a potential adult beverage kingpin. While Virginia’s home to a seemingly never-ending list of wineries, cideries are opening their doors as well…
But it’s not just cideries that are offering special events for Cider Week – the majority of Charlottesville wineries are getting involved as well. What better week to take advantage of Camryn Limo’s fabulous wine tours and explore Virginia’s beautiful countryside? Whether it’s checking out Wine Warehouse’s Apple a Day Cider Tasting or Albemarle Ciderworks’ Home Cidermaking Workshop, there will surely be something for everyone in the family to enjoy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find some nice cider to sip.
