There are activities this weekend through next weekend celebrating cider in the state of Virginia.  Virginia is an old state compared to the rest of the country. When English settlers arrived in the 1500s and 1600s, cider was one of the first fermented beverages made in the colony. Cider (alcoholic) was made for centuries in England and was considered better for you than water. Virginia had a strong commitment to cider in the early years. Most farmers made it and most of the rich and famous from the colony served it. Today there are a number of ciders in Virginia making cider.

The word cider means different things in the United States. In the rest of the world, cider is fermented apple juice. In the Colonial America the word cider also meant fermented apple juice, today, we usually usually refer to fermented apple juice as hard cider. Currently, the word cider usually refers to unfiltered apple juice that is not fermented.

My favorite alcoholic cider comes from north of the United States in Quebec. Many cideries make a Cidre de Glace or ice cider. These are simply delicious and make excellent desserts. Virginia is probably too warm for a Cidre de Glace. My favorite Virginia cider is one fermented in a Georgian qvevri. Castle Hill Cider in Keswick, Virginia purchased several qvevris from craftsmen in the country Georgia. They buried the qvevris in the ground at the cidery and ferment ciders in them. Using a qvevri to make wine, or in this case cider, is the only winemaking process that is on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It just seems fitting that many in the state of Virginia are preserving America’s past, and at Castle Hill Cider they are preserving a past that dates several thousands of years ago.

Cider Week Virginia runs from November 14th through November 23rd. You can visit the website for a list of restaurants that will serve Virginia cider this week. There are also special cider events throughout the state.

Cheers,
Terry