CiderWorks aims to introduce area to a whole new flavor

An apple orchard in North Garden is poised to open the doors of the Charlottesville region’s first hard cider-making operation in modern times.
Vintage Virginia Apples — a 10-acre orchard that grows some 250 varieties of obscure, heirloom and historic apples — so far has bottled 865 cases of artisanal hard apple cider that will be sold at the farm’s Albemarle CiderWorks.
“Someone once said that every cider maker thinks his is the best,” said ciderist Chuck Shelton. “I’m not that way. But I think ours came out pretty well.”
The cidery’s grand opening is slated for July 13. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, officials from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and many others are expected to attend.

Over the past year, Vintage Virginia built its cidery and began production in May. Finishing touches are being put on a tasting room, which will be ready for the grand opening.
The orchard’s debut offering consists of three types of fermented cider in 750 milliliter champagne bottles.
Jupiter’s Legacy is the cidery’s top-shelf label, selling for $18 a bottle. It is a blend of some of the orchard’s choicest and rarest apples, including the Virginia Hewe’s Crab, Yates, Hyslop and Harrison varieties.
The Royal Pippin cider is roughly 97 percent Albemarle Pippin, arguably Virginia’s most famous apple that dates back to 1700. Bottles of Royal Pippin will sell for $16.

The Ragged Mountain cider is a blend of several traditional Virginia apples that will cost $14 a bottle.
All three ciders were made from apples that reflect the history of Virginia and the Charlottesville region.
“We’re interested in the history of these apples and the history of this area,” said Charlotte Shelton, co-owner of the orchard and cidery.
Albemarle CiderWorks’ cider packs a bit of a kick, boasting 7 percent alcohol by volume. “More than beer, but less than wine,” Charlotte Shelton said.
The Sheltons hope their cider will find an audience with local food and wine lovers, as well as tourists drawn to the Charlottesville region’s myriad wineries and four beer breweries.

The Sheltons’ cidery will be included on the Charlottesville region’s wine trail and the “Brew Ridge Trail.”
Allie Baer, marketing director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Albemarle CiderWorks is expected to also prove popular among tourists visiting local historical sites, such as Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.
“Jefferson was a big foodie,” Baer said. “He loved good food and wine. … Heritage travel and tourism is a huge driver in our area.”
Albemarle CiderWorks’ offerings aim to hearken back to Jefferson’s era, when hard apple cider was the undisputed drink of choice.
Jefferson was well-known for creating champagne-like hard cider out of Virginia Hewe’s Crab apples. In an 1819 letter about his culinary preferences, Jefferson wrote: “Malt liquors and cider are my table drinks. …”

John Adams, meanwhile, was reputed to quaff a tankard of hard cider each morning with his breakfast. He attributed his good health and long life to his daily cider-drinking habit.
Today, hard cider has largely fallen out of favor with the American drinking public. While there are several notable brands available nationally, most notably Original Sin of New York and Woodchuck of Vermont, cider remains something of a niche beverage.
Apart from Albemarle CiderWorks, there is at least one other cidery in Virginia. Foggy Ridge Cider in the Southwest Virginia town of Dugspur offers four types of hard cider, including one called Pippin Gold, which is made from Newtown Pippin apples and apple brandy produced at Laird and Co.’s distillery in Albemarle County.

Albemarle CiderWorks aims to open people’s eyes about the flavors and complexity of traditional apple cider. If successful, they said, Virginia could grow a reputation for its ciders, much like the state’s wine industry.
“Thirty years ago, Virginia wine was an oxymoron,” Charlotte Shelton said. “Cider could be a help to Virginia’s struggling apple industry.”
Chuck Shelton began experimenting with homebrewing hard cider out of apples grown at his family’s orchard almost a decade ago. When he decided to begin cidermaking professionally, Vintage Virginia hired veteran Albemarle County winemaker Michael Shaps to better understand the process.
Standing amidst hundreds of cases of bottles in the Albemarle CiderWorks cidery facility, Shelton says he is so far pleased with the result of his efforts. But he doesn’t plan on entering his cider in any competitions to win medals that validate his cider’s excellence.

“I’m proud of the cider, but I’m not interested in winning competitions,” he said.
“I might be,” retorted Charlotte Shelton, his sister and the operation’s business mind. “We need to sell this stuff, sugar.”
Albemarle CiderWorks’ tasting room will be open between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, beginning July 15.