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On Wednesday, July 6, the American Cider Association, launched a digital Virginia Cider Trail to encourage Virginians and visitors to explore the Commonwealth’s hard cideries and celebrate Virginia’s unique apples.

The American Cider Association is the official organization of cider and perry producers in the United States representing cideries across 44 states and Washington, D.C. They are working closely with the Virginia Cider Association to highlight the incredible ciders and apples made in the state.

The digital Virginia Cider Trail is a free program that all Virginians or visitors of age 21 and over can sign up for. The mobile exclusive passport is a curated collection of 29 Virginia cideries, with many offering unique deals and discounts that guests can redeem during visits. The trail is a year-long offering that will run through June 25, 2023, and more cideries are expected to join throughout the year.

PARTICIPATING CIDERIES INCLUDE:

• Albemarle CiderWorks, North Garden

• Big Fish Cider Co., Monterey

• Blue Bee Cider, Richmond

• Blue Toad Hard Cider Cidery & Event Barn, Roseland

• Bold Rock Nellysford Cidery, Nellysford

• Bryant’s Cider, Richmond

• Bryant’s Cider & Brewery, Roseland

• Buskey Cider, Richmond

• Ciders From Mars, Staunton

• Corcoran Vineyards & Cidery, Waterford

• Courthouse Creeks, Maidens

• Coyote Hole Ciderworks, Mineral

• Ditchley Cider Works, Kilmarnock

• Halcyon Days Cider Co, Natural Bridge

• Henway Hard Cider, Bluemont

• Lost Boy Cider, Alexandria

• Moss Vineyards, Nortonsville

• Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery Cider Barn, Middleburg

• Old Town Cidery, Winchester

• Potter’s Craft Cider, Charlottesville

• Sage Bird Ciderworks, Harrisonburg

• Sly Clyde Ciderworks, Hampton

• Stable Craft Brewing, Waynesboro

• Sugar Hill Cidery, Norton

• The Winery at Kindred Pointe, Mt. Jackson

• Tumbling Creek Cider Company – Taproom, Abingdon

• Widow’s Watch Cider, Edinburg

• Wild Hare Cider Cabin, Leesburg

• Winchester Ciderworks, Winchester

“The new digital cider trail is a great opportunity for Virginians and visitors alike to experience all the wonderful cideries in the Commonwealth in an easy, mobile-friendly way,” said Michelle McGrath, executive director of American Cider Association. “Participants don’t even need to download an app. When they sign up for the cider trail, their pass can be saved to their phone’s home screen for easy one-tap access.”

The platform will use geospatial technology that will allow users to simple check-in and record visits to count towards prizes and redeem any available special discounts. The first 100 people to check-in to 10 locations will win a “Virginia is for Cider Lovers” medal. Each check-in also enters users into a grand prize raffle for a chance to win a Cidery Airbnb stay at the end of the year or a Virginia Cider Trail hooded sweatshirt at the end of each quarter.

“Those who opt in to participate in the trail have a whole year to explore all corners of this beautiful cider-rich state. We love the opportunity to get more people familiar with Virginia apples and the cider made from them — and why it’s so special,” McGrath said.

Funding for this project was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant 21 SCBPVA1060-00. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.

For more on the Virginia Cider Trail and participating cideries, visit Virginia Cider Trail at ciderculture. com.