Winchester Ciderworks

Cidery in Winchester, Virginia, United States 🇺🇸

Established in 2012

Contact
2504 N Frederick Pike, Winchester, VA, 22603, United States
Description
Founded in 2012, Winchester Ciderworks makes handcrafted Virginia hard cider with apples from our own orchard. Come visit our newly renovated tasting room!

Before prohibition, cider was the drink of choice for the American working man. Every sensible farmer with a few trees would have his own home fermented cider, it was only natural.

In England, cider never lost its stature as a staple libation. The diversity and quality of English ciders is well-known to the traveling tippler.

A chance meeting at a local bluegrass concert in 2011 between an Englishman homesick for quality cider, and a local orchardist of German descent, led to the marriage of old world tradition with new world know-how that makes Winchester Ciderworks unique.

The Shenandoah Valley produces an excellent crop of apples, and four generations of orchardists have been caring for the soil and trees whose fortunate fruit go into Winchester Ciderworks' creations.

The foundation for the Ciderworks' tasting room was laid in 1900, and the building served for decades as a barn for the orchardists until it was converted to an apple cold storage facility in 1946.

Winchester Ciderworks' tasting room is a natural evolution of this space, and overhead you can still see the refrigeration lines which once kept crops of Malus cool and fresh until processing.

     Show


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6

S: crisp - apples (duh!) - citrus A: clear light golden body - no head (of course!) T: granny smith apples - good sugars - mineraly P: honey sweetness - floral near end - clean-drinking  O: nicely balanced - dry but slightly sweet - polished 16 ounce can - Wegman's (grocery): Fairfax, Virginia - 06-October-2024 - US$2,33 (part of a mixed six pack) - sampled: 13-October-2024

Tried from Can on 14 Oct 2024 at 13:44


6.2
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Cranberries aroma, vinegar on the edges. Ruby red and clear. Cranberry, apple. Slightly musty finish. Light body, easy carbonation. Maybe a bit overdone with the berry addition as I like the glimpses of the base cider better.

Tried on 21 Jun 2024 at 22:50


7.5

Tried on 13 Apr 2024 at 13:58



7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

On tap at NC Ciderfest AVL. Clear, magenta-plum, soda pour. Didn't seem to capture any notes on the nose. Half-tart apples, funky semi-sweet currants, middle sharpness kicks in earthy bitterness, very vinous, soda acidity. Strong, mostly dry flavors. Good.

Tried from Draft on 12 Nov 2023 at 02:35


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

On tap at NC Cider Fest. Pale gold, spirited, filtered brew. Earthy, softly soapy, bit spent. Floral, prickly ginger. Bitter sharp apples, juicy kinda sweet ginger, sorta juicy, soda acid. Good-ish.

Tried from Draft on 12 Nov 2023 at 02:21


8.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8

On tap at NC Cider Fest. Pale gold, clear, spirited pour. Earthy, creamy, soft & saline-like nose. Warming, rounded citrus, lingering floral, touch of paper oxidation, bitter sharp through & through. Really great.

Tried from Draft on 12 Nov 2023 at 02:20


7

Tried from Can on 03 Nov 2023 at 22:12


5.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Reddish tan with a medium sized head. Dry and tartish with apple and berry. Medium finish and body.

Tried on 14 May 2023 at 02:25


6.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Draft: Poured a clear with bubble head. Aroma is is mushy pears and apple. Taste is pear, light tartness, apple, tannin.

Tried from Draft on 15 Jan 2023 at 17:40