Pick Cider
Open That Cider Bottle Returns February 25
Open That Cider Bottle is back and better than ever on February 25! This year the ACA will be offering prizes for various categories and everyone who participates will be entered to win a wine (ahem, cider) suitcase. Read on to learn more about what we’re looking for and get ready to share your cider story with us!
A Little Background
Open That Cider Bottle began in 2022 when we stumbled upon Open That Bottle Night. Open That Bottle Night was started back in 2000 by two Wall Street Journal columnists, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher. Held on the last Saturday in February of each year, this day encourages folks to open up that special bottle and share memories.
While they may have been talking about wine, we know that there are a lot of special bottles of cider with great stories sitting on shelves and in cellars just waiting to be opened and have their stories told. So we’re once again asking you to open one of those special bottles and share your cider bottle story on Instagram.
Is it a bottle from the first batch you ever made? Does it have a unique apple variety that you’ve been wanting to try? A cider you stumbled upon while on vacation? A cider gift from a friend that you’ve been saving? A cider that you fell in love with the first time you tried it and had to add it to your collection? Silly or poignant, we want to hear them all and there’s a chance to win some awesome prizes!
Did We Say Prizes?
Yes, we did! Besides the aforementioned wine suitcase that all who participate have a chance to win, we will also be offering prizes to our favorites in the following categories:
- Most likely to make you 🤣
- Most likely to warm your ♥️
- Most likely to 🤯
- Most likely to make you 💲 a 🍾
So tell us and the world your cider bottle story and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #openthatciderbottle and tag us @pickcider on Saturday, February 25, 2023!
Cellar Looking Empty?
This holiday is a great excuse to support a local bottle shop. Pick up a bottle of a cider that excites you and join us in seizing the day!
Dry Cider January Announced by Cider Association
The American Cider Association is launching a month long campaign called Dry Cider January to promote their members’ ciders containing 0 grams of sugar. They will list the ciders on their website and will be promoting them through the association’s social media channels with the hashtags #dryciderjanuary and #pickdrycider.
The list will be updated regularly and can be found here.
“The brain has a hard time distinguishing fruity from sweet. Many ciders with absolutely no sugar in them can still be fruit-forward,” explained the association’s executive director, Michelle McGrath. “You’ll find there are a multitude of dry ciders available when you start seeking them,” she added.
Alcohol is created when yeast converts sugar into alcohol through fermentation. A cider that contains no residual sugar has been fermented to absolute dryness. Sometimes cidermakers will blend a completely dry cider with fresh juice for acid/sugar balance, but other times they leave the cider entirely dry. These dry ciders are what the association is listing on their website for the campaign.
“It’s fairly common for cidermakers to list a dryness scale on their packaging nowadays. Although the definition of ‘dry’ may vary, a 0g sugar cider will generally be marked as such on the back label. ‘Bone dry’ is another term some companies may use to distinguish their 0 grams RS ciders from their dry ciders with only 1 or 2g,” McGrath shared. Some dry ciders, like Brut from Virtue Cider, include nutrition labels that indicate 0g sugar.
The list of ciders on the association’s website demonstrates the flavors and styles possible not only in the cider category, but in ciders with 0g sugar. From single varietal ciders showcasing specific apple varieties and served in a 750ml bottle to ciders aged on rose and hibiscus petals and served in a 12 oz can, the range is impressive. They are adding to the list daily throughout January. Follow along on their Instagram account @pickcider to learn more about the featured products.
The American Cider Association is developing additional campaigns for 2020 to showcase their members and highlight the diversity of flavor and style in the category.
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Active members of the American Cider Association may submit their 0g sugar ciders to be featured here. Consumers can participate with the hashtags #dryciderjanuary and #pickdrycider.
Pick Cider for The Holidays
Thanksgiving is one of the biggest weeks of the year for cider, and November and December is a time to shine! We are once again offering members free promotional materials as a membership benefit. All print material orders will include tabloid-sized Thanksgiving posters and generic holiday/Christmas double-sided table tents.
- Just need a logo? Please find free marketing vectors and images here. Be sure to read our guidelines of usage. Pro tip: If you have a really great image, layer a vector Pick Cider file on top and create something special. If you need to get an event up quickly, just use one of the raster image logos!
- Supplies are limited, so place your order as quickly as possible. Click here to order.
- We will also be pushing events and special releases again. Please let us know about your events and seasonal ciders with this form here.
- Have a recipe or other seasonal media that features your cider? Send us the link at marketing@Ciderassociation.org.
- Check out our dressed for the season PickCider.com!
Your membership must be current for us to ship you materials, pitch you in articles, or re-share your social media campaigns. Thanks for logging in to ciderassociation.org to renew if your membership is due.
Looking forward to sharing the cider word this holiday season!
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