Virginia’s First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe read a proclamation announcing that November 14th to the 23rd was officially Virginia Cider Week.

On Monday we attended a Virginia Cider tasting at the Lemaire Restaurant in the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. The area for the tasting filled quickly as eight cideries poured their ciders. During the tasting, Virginia’s First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe read a proclamation announcing that November 14th to the 23rd was officially Virginia Cider Week.

I was impressed by the size of the group that attended the event. The room filled up and it appears that the organizers should discuss have a larger venue next year. Most of the cideries had to share a small table with another cidery. The noise level was also rate high in this smaller space. On the other hand, this crown was a testament to the growing popularity of cider in Virginia.

Virginia Cider Week Cider Salon Trade Tasting

When asked how they thought the event was going several of the producers were very positive. Charlotte Shelton of Albemarle CiderWorks in North Garden, who was very busy pouring ciders was happy to see chefs, bartenders and writers take an interest in ciders. Courtney Mailey of Blue Bee Cider in Richmond was pleased to present her ciders to restauranteurs. Kelli Lane of Old Hill Hard Cider in Timberville, Virginia that the event was a great opportunity to let people know about the different cideries in Virginia.

Impressions

I’ve had Virginia ciders in the past and the thing that struck me the most was the ciders that I tasted now were moving away from the simplistic to the more complex. Very few of the ciders were singular, giving one aroma and taste. Two that were outstanding to me included Albemarle CiderWorks Red Hill and Blue Bee’s Hopsap Shandy. I enjoy tannins and the bolder the better. It doesn’t matter if the wine is red or white, the more tannic the better. I really enjoyed two of Albemarle CiderWorks ciders that had tannins. The one that had the more tannins was the Red Hill. This light yellow colored cider had notes of apple and spices. The tannins made it more complex and a cider that caught my attention.

My favorite cider of the event was Blue Bee Hopsap Shandy. The cider was a blend of different apples although mostly Winesap. The cider had a light infusion of hops. The light yellow cider was very floral and the taste reminded me of roses, apples and citrus. This cider may be a favorite for beer drinkers, perhaps an infusion of beer, wine and cider drinkers all who may enjoy this cider.

I was impressed by the movement of ciders to the more complex and the number of people that showed up for the event. Kathy and I did chat for a while with Dorothy McAuliffe, who like us received her undergraduate degree from Catholic University in Washington DC.

Cheers,
Terry