Wine Strategies for Creating Cider Country: Oregon and Virginia
Ticketed Session: $10
Speakers: Annette Boyd, Anne Shelton, Emily Ritchie, Morgen McLaughlin
Date & Time: Friday, February 3, 2:00-3:15pm
This session will explore how two different cider regions, Oregon and Virginia, are making a name for themselves in the heart of wine country. Regional wine and cider marketing leaders will compare promotional strategies and brainstorm new methods for creating well-known cider regions, looking to wine for inspiration. There will be plenty of opportunity for audience participation and a flight of choice ciders from Oregon and Virginia to sample and discuss.
Cider’s Taste of Place: Trialing Apple Varieties and Regions in NY State
Ticketed Session: $10 SOLD OUT!
Speakers: Megan Larmer, Kate Anstreicher, Ian Merwin, Joe Gaynor, Amy Noga, Lindsay Jenkinson
Date & Time: Thursday, February 2, 3:30-4:45pm
In 2017, the Glynwood Center, NY Cider Association, and Angry Orchard planted 5,000 cider apple trees across 12 orchards in NY’s major fruit-growing regions. Experienced orchardists have recorded tree growth/survival and yields each year since, and in 2020, a panel of cider professionals evaluated single-variety, single-estate cider samples for similarities and differences based on sensory attributes. In this session we will present our results so far, exploring the factors that go into determining a regional taste of place or terroir.
A Proposal for a Systematic Approach to Tasting Cider
Speaker: Richie Brady
Date & Time: Thursday, February 2, 10:30-11:45am
This session presents a proposal for a Systematic Approach to Tasting Cider using a method of consistently describing aromas, flavors and structure of cider. The method can be used by all those involved in creating, producing, promoting, marketing and selling cider – from intermediates to experts. (Although similar, this is not a review of the systemic approach used for the Certified Pommelier™ exam. There is a review of the exam’s approach Friday afternoon).
The History, Pomage, and Terroir of NY State’s Cider
Ticketed Session: $10
Speaker: Elizabeth Ryan, Ria Windcaller, Dan Pucci, Gregory Peck
Date & Time: Friday, February 3, 3:45-5:00pm
Cidermaker, orchardist and historian Elizabeth Ryan will lead a guided tasting and historical exploration of some of New York state’s most cherished American heirloom apples and their impact on cider. This will include an expert panel presentation with thoughtful cider-tasting, pairing varietals from different locations. It is a recommended companion workshop to Cider’s Taste of Place: Trialing Apple Varieties and Regions in NY State, which will take a more scientific approach to investigating terroir in cider in New York.
Happy Hour Cider Pairings
Ticketed Session: $60 SOLD OUT!
Date & Time: Tuesday, January 31, 3:00-5:00pm
Start your CiderCon® journey off right with happy hour in the gorgeous penthouse suite. Enjoy curated pairings of delicious ciders and locally inspired tapas with just a touch of education, and a lot of fun. This is the perfect event for aspiring Pommeliers™ and anyone in the cider community.
Getting to the Core of Flavor in American Ciders
Speakers: Jacob Lahne, Amanda Stewart, Marlon Ac-Pangan, Martha Calvert, Xavier Ozowara
Date & Time: Thursday, February 3, 1:45-3:00pm
As US cidermaking has expanded in recent years, a focus on flavor quality has been a constant, unresolved theme in the industry. What are the various and interacting impacts of (among others) apple variety and blending, orcharding practices, fermentation and processing methods, and even marketing and sensory communication on the ultimate flavor of the cider as perceived by the consumer? While there has been little research-based information available on these topics, recently several research groups from Virginia Tech have been working to investigate these questions. In this session, researchers from these groups will present results from their work. Among the topics presented will be research on microbial diversity and its impact on cider flavor, both at the orchard level and at the
fermentation level; the impacts of yeast variety selection and nutrition on cider quality; new sensory profiling work for ciders produced in the Eastern United States; and consumer- and producer-focused qualitative research on how communication about these and other aspects of cider quality affects the cider consumption and purchasing experience. Overall, this session will provide a window into the most recent research addressing the origins and impact of flavor in cidermaking through a number of different research approaches.
The Certified Pommelier™ Program’s Structured Sensory Evaluation of Cider
Ticketed Session: $10 SOLD OUT!
Speakers: Darlene Hayes, Tim Godfrey
Date & Time: Friday, February 3, 12:30-1:30pm
Participants will practice evaluating ciders using the ACA’s Structured Sensory Evaluation process guided by Certified Pommeliers™ Darlene Hayes and Tim Godfrey. This session will teach you how to objectively assess any cider, empowering you in the cidery and in assisting customers to find a cider they love while also helping you to prepare for the Certified Pommelier™ exam.