New Digital Virginia Cider Trail

The American Cider Association has launched a digital Virginia Cider Trail program to encourage Virginians and visitors to explore the Commonwealth’s hard cideries and celebrate Virginia’s unique apples. The trail officially launched on July 6, 2022.

Virginia’s apples

Virginia provides a natural home for craft cideries, with climate and geography that support healthy orchards. As a major apple-producing state, Virginia ranks sixth in the country in apple production.

If early experiences with hard cider left a bad taste in your mouth, consider that contemporary craft ciders come in a range of styles to suit almost every palate – depending upon the apples used and other ingredients added. As wine is the fermented juice of grapes, hard cider is the fermented juice of apples. The apples are “pressed,” squeezing out the juice. The cidermaker adds yeast, which consumes the natural sugars, creating carbon dioxide (the bubbles) and ethanol (the alcohol). After the yeast has finished its task (about two to four weeks), the hard cider may continue to mature or be ready to imbibe.

Learn more about Virginia craft cideries 

Virginia Cider Trail

The mobile-only digital Virginia Cider Trail includes goodies, such as a “Virginia is for Cider Lovers” medal for the first 100 people to check in to 10 locations, a hooded sweatshirt for the person with the most check-ins each quarter will win a hooded sweatshirt, and automatic entry for a chance to win the grand -rize – an Airbnb stay on the grounds of Ditchley Cider Works – with each check-in.

As of September, 34 cideries have signed up to be a part of the trail, including Richmond-area cideries:

• Blue Bee Cider
• Bryant’s Cider & Brewery
• Buskey Cider
• Courthouse Creek Cider

With apple-picking season on the horizon, it’s a great time to start exploring Virginia cideries, and the Virginia Cider Trail will help!