Fall may be known for apple picking, but there’s nothing like a warm cider donut and cold pint of hard cider in the dead of winter! All of these cider-makers (and so many more) have fabulous farms and cozy tasting rooms that you can visit for a day trip or weekend getaway all year long. Check out a few of our favorite New York Ciders that you can visit in person below.
Brooklyn Cider House (New Paltz, NY): At Twin Star Orchards in New Paltz, NY, they have free cider tastings, delicious wood-fired pizza and burgers, and they sell fresh baked goods and seasonal produce from their garden. They also have a great selection of New York cider, wine, and spirits and pick-your-own “ugly apples” in the fall.
Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider (Rhinebeck & New Paltz, NY): They produce a line of exceptional farm-based ciders with style and character. Drawing on classic European cider making techniques, these highly drinkable ciders have a robust new world flavor profile. The cidery is based at two beloved Hudson Valley farms, Breezy Hill Orchard near Rhinebeck and Stone Ridge Orchard near New Paltz. The farms are known for their commitment to ecological growing and the production of highly flavored fruit. The orchards produce over 100 varieties of apples and have just planted a dedicated hard cider orchard with a number of traditional cider apples including Dabinett, Bedan, Binet Rouge, Kingston Black, Chisel Jersey, Ashmeads Kernel, and others.
Doc’s Draft Hard Cider (Warwick, NY): The apples in their handcrafted cider come straigt from their orchard in the foothills of the Hudson Valley. They grow more than 60 different apple varieties in the orchard, each selected for maximum flavor and unique taste. Visit the pick-your-own farm in the fall and experience what it truly means to drink a well-developed farm to glass cider. In the Doc’s Orchard, you can expect to meander through the trees, pick different apple varieties, drink Doc’s Cider, and discover the history behind each apple and their Great American Cider.
Treasury Cider at Fishkill Farms (Hopewell Junction, NY): Treasury Cider is a new brand of traditionally crafted hard apple cider, made exclusively with Fishkill Farms apples. Fishkill Farms is a third-generation, 270-acre orchard and vegetable farm owned and operated by the Morgenthau family. The farm is located in the town of East Fishkill in New York’s Hudson Valley, an area celebrated for its high-quality soils and natural beauty. Their cider-making starts with their trees, some of which are well over a half-century old. They tend them with the minimum of intervention possible, combining organic and eco-certified methods when necessary to keep them healthy and productive. They grow over 80 varieties —some modern, some heirloom, and some European bittersweet. Visit Fishkill Farms this fall for a tasting and spend the day apple picking, listening to live music and enjoying their harvest festivals. Need super convenient transportation?
These are just a few of the many cideries all within a day’s drive or train ride from NYC. Want to find the closest to you? Check out the New York Cider Association cider map here. Then dive into the Hudson Valley’s Ultimate Cider + Apple Spirits Guide to discover regional cider producers, info and events all year long.
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