Cider season 2017 is here! In Portland on March 25, the Northwest Cider Association (NWCA) launched the region’s 2017 cider events season with the annual Cider Rite of Spring, a cider-tasting extravaganza. It was held at The Evergreen, an elegantly renovated c. 1908 ballroom in the Buckman neighborhood.
photo: Carrie Uffindell
There, 31 veteran and young gun/up-and-coming cidermakers throughout the Northwest poured the fruits of their labor – over 100 ciders, including seasonal and reserve offerings. From those I sampled, the following cider and cideries really stood out:
- Square Mile Cider’s Rosé Cider is perfect for spring and summer sipping. It’s effervescent with light hibiscus, strawberry and herby notes.
- Woodbox Cider’s Ice Cider is aged in a whiskey barrel and filled with vanilla, toffee, and dark caramel notes. This is dessert in a glass.
- Pear Up Cider’s Pear-Raspberry. Lots of sweet pear and raspberry notes.
- And for the cider purist, Clyde’s Dry from Bauman’s Cider Company has all the yeasty-apple aromas, light apple flavors and all the tannic finish you could ever want.
And my favorite cider name: ^5’s (aka High 5) sour peach cider, dubbed by owner-cidermaker Shannon Wolcott Mosley “Your Princess is in Another Castle.”
Missed the Cider Rite of Spring? Not to worry, there’s more upcoming cider events that will be taking place in and around the Portland Metro Area between now and October. My favorites included Hood River’s Hand-Pressed Cider Fest (April 22, 2017), the Portland International Cider Cup Awards Party (June 15, 2017), Oregon Cider Week (June 15-25, 2017) and Cider Summit Portland (June 16-17, 2017).
To learn more about cider, visit the Northwest Cider Association’s website.
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