My newest article – and first contribution for Wine and Country Life – has now been published!

Over a dozen wineries opened in 2021. I couldn’t list them all, so I focused on my favorites including Ecco Adesso, Firefly Cellars, Hazy Mountain Vineyard, Merrie Mill Farm, Sunshine Ridge Farm, and Williams Gap Vineyard.

Virginia will soon celebrate Cider Week, which runs from November 12-21. This event is an opportunity to heed Benjamin Franklin’s advice that, “It is indeed bad to eat apples. It is better to make them all into cider.”

Cider makers must have listened because sales of Virginia hard cider have skyrocketed in the last decade. Virginia now has over 30 cideries, most of which opened in the past 4 years alone. According to the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office, in fiscal year 2020, approximately 55% of all hard cider sold in Virginia was Virginia-made.

Critics have taken notice. The Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition now uses dedicated cider judges for its cider entries, with Lost Boy Cidery’s “Comeback Kid” taking the win in 2021. Fellow cider professionals have also heard the buzz because CiderCon®, the world’s largest professional cider conference, is coming to Richmond in February 2022.

More Complex Than Most People Realize

For both business and stylistic reasons, some cideries model themselves after wineries with a focus on beverages that reflect conditions in the orchard, while others draw more inspiration from breweries by experimenting with new flavors. It gets even more complicated if you add in perrys (cider made from pears) and specialty ciders, including those made with hops, spices, or other fruit.

This split parallels cider’s two main categories; Heritage and Modern ciders.

Heritage ciders are usually made from apples traditionally associated with cider making, including Kingston Black (bittersharp), Roxbury Russet (American heirloom), and Wickson (crab). These beverages are usually drier, emphasize the flavor profile of the varietal it’s made from, and served in wine bottles.

Modern ciders are primarily made from apples you find in the grocery store including McIntosh, Golden Delicious, or Gala. They also offer a dizzying array of flavors not usually associated with cider, such as pumpkin, cherry, even habanero. The need for carbonation means they are usually served on tap or in cans.

Both styles are found in Virginia but few are as passionate about Heritage ciders as Diane Flynt of Foggy Ridge Cider, one of the pioneers of the Virginia cider movement. Foggy Ridge was the state’s first cidery, which Diane modeled after an estate vineyard with an eye towards ‘orchard focused cider’.

While Foggy Ridge Cider’s last call was several years ago she still grows apples and advocates for Virginia cider, especially those that reflect the orchards they come from. In explaining her hopes for the future of the industry, Diane said, “We need locations that are willing to invest the time to make great cider. What (Foggy Ridge) did is focus on what the site gives you for flavor, not any additives.”

That said, the line between Modern and Heritage cider is sometimes fuzzy. Many cider makers treat their Modern ciders as artisanal beverages, while the term ‘Heritage cider’ may seem something of an oxymoron since they are made using very modern techniques.

Don Whitaker of Castle Hill Cider makes both styles, explaining, “Our Heritage line pays tribute to the apple, while our craft line is more fun and accessible. But it doesn’t matter which line it is, we still want to showcase the apple.”

“But some of our friends (in the cider industry) want to take cider making as far as they can go with new flavors. It’s all up to the imagination and the market.”

Explaining Cider’s Newfound Popularity

According to several cidery owners, direct sales are roughly split between men and women and skews towards a younger demographic. When asked why cider sales have seen such growth, Philip Carter Strother of Valley View Farm had a straightforward explanation.

“The truth is hard cider is delicious, but it’s been overshadowed by beer. Hundreds of years ago cider was just as popular as beer. But a lot of effort has been made to make cider approachable to a larger audience, and a larger audience drinks beer.”

Emulating the marketing and distribution of craft beer has allowed cider sales to soar. Last year 63% of Virginia cider was sold via distribution and the remainder in direct sales. While this ratio favors modern ciders that are packaged and sold like beer, growing recognition has helped heritage cider sales as well.

This popularity has pushed a number of Virginia wineries to get in on the action. Wineries recognize cider fills a niche for lighter, fresher beverages, and their ability to step up is eased by how much of the equipment and licensing is the same. Several make their cider in-house, while others use an outside partner.

Cider’s status as a lower-alcohol, gluten-free beverage is another selling point. While no alcoholic beverage can ever truly be called ‘healthy’, cider compares relatively well to beer. In his description of Comeback Kid, Tristan Wright of Lost Boy Cider explained how the cider’s name was in part a tribute to his own health comeback when he discovered his allergies to gluten and soy.

Even though hard cider is unlikely to ever be considered a health drink, it has one additional advantage over other options. “Nobody has sentimental feelings about barley. But everyone has a connection to apples” enthused Will Hodges of Troddenvale Cider. “People just have a pull to it; it’s a very American beverage.”

Ciders You Should Try

Cideries can be found in every corner of Virginia, ranging from urban tasting rooms in Alexandria and Richmond, rural businesses in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to wineries and breweries serving cider alongside their own beverages.

Don’t wait for CiderCon; start sampling Virginia’s cider today.

Blue Bee Aragon: Blue Bee is Richmond’s first urban cidery, located in an old stable and carriage house. Aragon is their best seller; an off-dry blend of modern and heirloom apple varieties that provide a light, crisp mouthfeel.

Castle Hill Cider’s Celestial: Located south of Charlottesville, Castle Hill’s Celestial has strong fruit aromas, bright acidity, and a clean taste. While you can drink this anywhere, their tasting room is stunning – and beverages always taste better when sampled in the place they were made.

Coyote Hole Ciderwork’s Apparition: Coyote Hole kicks off Halloween with a cider that brings all the cozy flavors of fall in one drink. The perfect balance of cider and pumpkin, Apparition has all the comforting notes of traditional pumpkin pie with a hint of spices.

Lost Boy Cider’s Comeback Kid: The first beverage to win the cider award at the Virginia’s Governor’s Cup, Comeback Kid is Lost Boy’s bestselling cider for good reason. Made with Shenandoah apples, it’s light, dry and unfiltered. While heritage ciders boast about their complexity and tastiness, this cider could give them a run for their money.

Troddenvale at Oakley Farm’s House Cider: One of the most ‘wine-like’ ciders on the list, this heritage-style cider is made with a blend of eight apples. Its use of lees during fermentation provides a fuller mouthfeel and greater complexity. It’s then bottled like a sparkling via the “traditional method” until disgorged before release.

Valley View Farm’s Noble Pome: Noble Pome benefits from aging on the lees, which gives it a texture and body somewhere between a white wine and a beer, and contributes yeasty flavors and toasted notes. Bone dry and crisp, it tastes strongly of the Stayman apples used to make it. An excellent accompaniment to food, particularly with barbeque and pork dishes.

When It Comes To Cider, What’s Old Is New Again!

Over the past few months several Virginia wineries have unleashed a number of ‘premium’ experiences which combine higher-priced wines, food, education – and usually all three. Here’s my take on some of the best.

Here is the link: Virginia Wineries Raising the Bar With Premium Experiences

I’m very happy how this article came out, focusing on Firefly Cellars, Williams Gap Vineyard, and The Winery at Sunshine Ridge Farm.

The continued growth of the Virginia wine industry never ceases to amaze me. Even in a pandemic we opened 20 wineries/cideries/meaderies in 2020, and another 9 more this year (with more to come!). Not only that, it seems every new location is better and better.

Meet Northern Virginia’s Newest Wineries – Old Town Crier

I’m pretty shocked I didn’t post this article earlier. You might say I’ve been researching it for years!

I love hearing ‘behind the scenes’ stories, so this was a lot of fun to write. Thank you to Luca Paschina and Michael Clough of Barboursville Vineyards, Daniel Zbiegien of Veritas Vineyards and Winery, and Carlisle Banner of Upper Shirley Vineyards.

The Chefs Behind Three of Virginia’s Popular Winery Restaurants

My article on Virginia meaderies is posted in the Old Town Crier!

https://oldtowncrier.com/2021/04/01/virginias-exploding-micro-meadery-scene/

I’m really happy how this came out, and it goes beyond the ‘the Vikings used to drink mead’ theme.

Thank you also to all the meaderies that help me in this research. #Virginiamead

In 2015-ish I decided I wanted to visit every winery in the state. Since this effort required a lot of note-taking, I made an excel spreadsheet of every winery, cidery, and meadery in the state.

Don’t forget to follow my social media accounts: Wine Trails and Wanderlust | Facebook and Matthew Fitzsimmons (@winetrailsandwanderlust) • Instagram photos and videos

As of Dec 2025, I count 280 wineries, 35 cideries, and 11 meaderies, plus 36 wineries, cideries & meaderies that lack tasting rooms. I rename the spreadsheet according to the current date every time I update it. Because of this, check back periodically as I make new edits all the time.

Also, deciding what qualifies as a ‘Virginia winery’ is harder than it seems. Some wineries don’t have tasting rooms; others are so rarely open that it makes visiting them nearly impossible. Some ‘wineries’ are really just tasting rooms for wine made elsewhere in the state. Others are companies that only sell retail. A few businesses make wine but don’t use Virginia grapes, leading to me to wonder if they even qualify as a ‘Virginia winery’.

For the sake of maximum accuracy, I listed every winery, cidery, and meadery I could find in Virginia, even those which lack tasting rooms or are more of a wine distribution company.

1. If a location had wine using Virginia grapes under their own label, I listed them as a winery. I give mead and cider a pass on using Virgina fruit, as those industries don’t have the same restrictions on using local that Virginia wine does.
2. If a location had cider and/or mead as well as wine using Virginia fruit under their own label, I annotated that they have cider/mead but for tracking purposes I still list them primarily as a winery.
3. If a location had mead and cider (but not wine), I listed them as a cidery.
4. There is also a row for wine distribution companies or wineries or wine labels that lack tasting room, such as R.A.H. or Turk Mountain wines.

Natural wine is a trendy term in the wine industry. It certainly hits several items on the hipster bucket-list.

Some claim that it’s healthier for you than regular wine (unlikely to be true). Natural wine is often confused with organic wine (not the same, but somewhat in the ballpark). While there is some overlap with biodynamic, natural wine doesn’t necessarily have to be biodynamic.

So if it’s none of those things…what is “natural” wine?

The U.S. wine industry has struggled with this question because – unlike organic wine – there is no legal definition for the term ‘natural wine’. It’s also unfair to imply that conventional making is somehow ‘unnatural’, or that organic automatically means ‘good for you,’ further adding to the confusion.

So lacking a U.S. definition, France’s adoption of the term vin méthode nature is a good starting point. Introduced in 2019, French wines utilizing this label must adhere to the following standards:

• Low (maximum 30 ppm) or no sulfites (with separate logos for both options)
• No additives (except for sulfur) in the wine cellar or “brutal” treatments
• Only indigenous yeast fermentation is allowed
• Grapes must be organically farmed and hand-picked

But even France’s wine industry admits this is more of a marketing term that qualified producers are allowed to post on their label, not an official certification for ‘natural wine’. Moreover, pinning down specific criteria may miss the point. As natural wine expert Alice Feiring once said, “In my heart of hearts, I just don’t think natural wine is certifiable”.

So rather than think of natural wine as a product, think of it as more of a philosophy how wine can be made. As winemaker Ben Jordan of Early Mountain Vineyards explained, “It seems to me that the market accepts something as natural when a wine checks most of those boxes, and when the character of the wine fits the overall ethos, but since there is no certification, there are no hard and fast rules.”

Lacking a U.S. standard to go by, several Virginia wineries – including Arterra Wines in Delaplane, Briede Family Vineyards in Winchester, and Rock Roadhouse Vineyards in Hot Springs, have created their own approaches to natural wine. While they diverge in individual areas such as their use of sulfites, natural yeast fermentation, or farming practices, their overall approaches are very much in tune with the ethos of natural winemaking.

Rock Roadhouse’s method addresses the use of sulfites – perhaps the most divisive aspect in defining natural winemaking. Sulfites have gotten a bad rap for years as it’s often (inaccurately) blamed for ‘wine headaches’ (blame your 4^th glass of cabernet for those), but in reality, it’s often naturally present in wine.

Sulfites have been an important ingredient in winemaking since at least Roman times, acting as a preservative by preventing oxidation and defeating unwanted bacteria. But sulfites also kill non-hostile microbes. Add too much and you can remove the natural features which makes a wine truly terroir-driven – the antithesis of what natural winemaking is all about.

Owner Bob Donze addresses this through the use of specialized equipment which protects against oxidation and using a special yeast called “Alpha” which slows the fermentation process, tactics which help him minimize or sometimes skip the use of sulfites. His location in the mountains also allows him to limit the use of pesticides, in line with the philosophy behind natural winemaking.

Jason Murray of Arterra Wines is one of the most well-known ‘natural wine’ makers in Virginia, although he uses the term ‘clean wine’ to describe Arterra’s wines.

It’s a minor but notable difference. ‘Natural’ winemakers usually don’t filter their wine to remove cloudiness, as most winemakers do. However, Jason worries that some wine drinkers will assume cloudy wine is faulted, so he’s willing to make this concession to make ‘clean wine’ more approachable.

Besides that, the term ‘clean’ speaks directly to his signature style – the use of native yeasts, which won’t ferment without especially-clean fruit.

According to Jason, “One thing all of these wineries agree on is natural wine starts with clean fruit. While none (of the natural winemakers in Virginia) currently use certified organic or biodynamic grapes, they take extra precautions to ensure the fruit they use is free of residual pesticides/fungicides.”

Paul and Loretta Briedé of Briedé Family Vineyards know more than a thing or two about natural wine, as they previously managed one of Virginia’s only organic vineyards. They also understand how challenging this undertaking is, as in 2018 they were forced to give up their organic certification when disease threatened to destroy their vines and they had to use conventional pesticides to save them.

Having farmed both organically and conventionally, the Briedés understand that having an organic program doesn’t mean that organic grapes aren’t by definition more exceptional, or that conventional viticulture strongly deviates from organic viticulture. Many of their current vineyard practices borrow heavily from when they maintained their vineyard organically, including minimal spraying and housing beneficial insects to control the balance of good bugs and bad ones.

It also helps that they planted grapes which perform well in Virginia’s humidity, minimizing the need for conventional pesticides. Hybrids are a popular choice for natural wines, as European-style vinifera grapes are difficult to grow without using conventional pesticides. One of these grapes is a newer red hybrid from Cornell University named Arandell. The other is Cayuga, a white grape hybrid extensively planted along the east coast and especially used in sparkling wines. As for sulfites, even their Sparkling Winchester wine still has 35 ppm, all of which is naturally occurring yet higher than what the French definition of ‘natural wine’ would allow.

While it’s a small market, Virginia does have a number of options you can sample. Here are some favorites:

As a longtime member of Arterra Wines, I can attest to their entire lineup. The natural yeast Jason uses gives his wines a viscosity and raciness not found in more conventional wines.

But my favorite is his Tannat. Jason is something of a Tannat magician, and his have a width on the palate that I can’t get enough of.

Rock Roadhouse’s wines are harder to describe – perhaps because until my visit I’ve never had wine made in this style. The 2018 Cabernet Franc with strawberry notes on the nose but a full but fruity palate was arguably my favorite, but their Cayuga and Merlot-blend Rosé was up there.

Briedé’s Arandell is possibly the most difficult of this lineup to describe, but my take is it reminded me of certain earthy Italian varietals, despite a heritage which includes Pinot Noir. Recently they also released a 50/50 Arandell/Tannat blend, which is an exciting combination.

Regardless of what you drink, remember; “natural” is still in the eye of the beholder. But so long as producers are up-front with what’s in the glass, natural wines will find avid consumers looking for something different.

See the link below for the Old Town Crier article
Understanding Virginia’s “Natural Wine” – Old Town Crier