Drinkers may be hard-pressed to find better cider than those made locally. That’s according to the judges at a recent national competition where Colorado cider makers won big, sweeping two categories and placing in numerous others.
The 8th annual Cidercraft Awards, organized by its namesake magazine, announced winners in mid-June and honored two local outfits with accolades. Snow Capped Cider in Cedaredge won a total of 22 medals, including five platinum – the competition’s highest honor – while Fenceline Cider in Mancos won two.
Judges at the Cidercraft Awards taste beverages blindly and award medals — platinum, double gold, gold and silver — to the top four. In the categories with the highest number of entries, they may also award “judges’ picks” to those ciders worth honorable mentions, said Kristin Ackerman Bacon, publisher and CEO of Cidercraft Magazine.
Colorado appears to be a powerhouse for dry ciders, as both cideries swept the “high tannin (dry)” category. There’s where Snow Capped’s Kingston Black earned a platinum medal, followed by Fenceline’s Kingston Black (2023) in the double gold medal position, Snow Capped’s Yarlington Mill with a gold medal and its Wilde Woods with a silver.
No one trick pony, Snow Capped also swept the “modern (sweet)” category with its recipes for Gravenstein (platinum), Golden Russet (double gold), The Russets (gold) and Winesap (silver). The cidery, which grows its apples on family operated orchards on the Western Slope, also earned platinum medals for its Gravenstein cider in the “single varietal” category; Bluebird Day in the “modern (dry)” category; and White Wine Perry in the “co-ferment” category.
“I couldn’t be more proud about the incredible year we are having!” said Kari Williams, Snow Capped’s owner and head cidermaker, in a statement. “We make cider to express the story of our historic orchards and Colorado, and this incredible recognition over the last few years tells us we’re doing something right. I am so thankful for my team for making this year one for the books and we are honored to represent the cider industry.”
Notably, Snow Capped Cider was among the winners of the 2024 Great American Beer Festival, which allowed ciders into its prestigious competition for the first time that year.
In addition to their medal hauls, Snow Capped Cider earned six judges’ picks from the Cidercraft Awards and Fenceline earned one. See the full list of winners here.
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