In Virginia, the art of cider-making is undergoing a renaissance.
Making cider at the Albemarle Ciderworks
For Chuck Skelton, craft cider is part of a logical progression. “The 1980s was the first time the US got known for wine. In the early-to-mid 90s, the craft beer industry took off. Cider is the next natural wave.”
Chuck is the cider-maker at the Albemarle Ciderworks near Charlottesville in Virginia. It started out as a nursery for rare fruit trees in 2000, but started selling cider in 2009 after Chuck retired from his full time job, and had more time to do something with the apples.
It’s one of a growing band of cideries in the state – “I wanna say 15, but it might well be 16 now,” says Chuck – that is trying to change the American perception of what cider is. A lot of ‘cider’ sold in the States is essentially apple juice, but to the rest of the world it’s an alcoholic drink made from fermented apples.
The history of cider in the United States
Chuck says the in the early colonial days, cider was the drink of choice. It remained that way until the US expanded westwards – grain is more economical to transport over large distances than apples – and waves of immigrants came over from traditionally beer-drinking northern Europe to work on the farms.
And in making his ciders, Chuck is often attempting to hark back to that past. The property’s initial incarnation as a nursery meant they had plenty of rare apple types to work with – the sort that may have been grown by early Virginian plantation owners, such as Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.
He points to Albemarle’s 1817 cider as “the epitome of what American ciders are like”. Based on a historical recipe, it uses Hewes crab, Harrison and Old Virginia winesop apples.
If such blends sound closer to wine-making than brewing, it’s because, according to Chuck, cider is much closer to wine than beer. “There are blends, varieties, flavours, sweetness, dryness, alcohol levels and fizziness that alter – and it is taxed as a wine too.”
Virginia’s cider makers
Most of Virginia’s cider producers are small scale with a focused firmly on the craft. Bold Rock in Nellysford is the only one to make a significant impact outside of the state so far, but being small allows for a lot of experimentation and room to indulge personal tastes.
But that’s not to say the cider makers don’t want to reach out, and many are open to visitors who want to get a bit of education and a few samples.
Perhaps the most unusual of these is Blue Bee Cider in Richmond, which swaps an idyllic country setting for urban grit. Owner Courtney Mailey says it’s about being closer to the market than the fruit. Blue Bee also offers tours of the facilities, and sampling sessions with detailed tasting notes.
Blue Bee opened in 2013, but it’s no longer the newbie. Courtney has lost count of how many have opened since then. “I know there are six or seven, and I think there are two others in the process of getting a licence.”
Resurrecting apples
Again, there is a focus on resurrecting old apple varieties that were once nearly wiped out – something that marks out the Virginia cider scene as unusual.
“Prohibition in the 1920s led to the destruction of a lot of cider orchards, and many apples were either wiped out or became very hard to find,” says Courtney. “The Hewes crab was considered lost until it was discovered about 20 years ago – and the Harrison was thought lost for generations.”
For the new generation that is cottoning on to proper cider – it is the fastest growing alcoholic beverage in the country – Virginia historic pioneering spirit is coming to the fore again.
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