BEACON, N.Y. — During CiderCon 2023 held recently in Chicago, IL, New York Cider took home several of the top awards bestowed by the American Cider Association (ACA) in their 2023 Cider Excellence Awards. The ACA established these annual awards at CiderCon 2015 to honor individuals, businesses, and organizations from around the country for their achievements in and contributions to the U.S. hard cider industry.
New York Cider’s very own Elizabeth Ryan of Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider in Stone Ridge was awarded the Apple Advocate Award for telling the stories of New York apples, for growing apples, for being a pioneer orchardist and cidermaker. Ryan is a renowned fruit grower and cidermaker and has studied cider making in Somerset and Hereford in England. She has a degree in Pomology from Cornell University and she made her first barrel of cider there as a student in 1980. She is one of the founding GrowNYC Greenmarket farmers. She received the Cornucopia award from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and was a Smithsonian Fellow. She was a keynote speaker at the NY State Governor’s Alcohol Summit where she pushed policy that would support small-scale hard cider production.
Paige Flori, owner of Boutique Wines, Spirits, and Cider in Fishkill was named East Coast Pommelier of the Year. A pommelier is the name for a cider specialist, much like a sommelier with wine. Flori is one of only 45 certified pommeliers in the world, a certification that requires in-depth knowledge of hard cider and a blind tasting exam.
Other awards included the East Coast Member Appreciation Award which was awarded to South Hill Cider in Ithaca for their leadership in educational programming and regional ambassadorship. The Best East Coast Cider Retailer Award went to The Cellar d’Or Wine, Cider & Spirits also in Ithaca. The Best East Coast Cider Distributor was presented to Coeur Wine Co. based in New York City. And finally, the award for Best East Coast Cider-Focused Establishment (Non-Cidery) went to Wurstbar in Jersey City. Although not in New York, Wurstbar is located across the Hudson River from New York City in New Jersey and continually participates in Cider Week New York.
“It’s always thrilling to see who gets recognized during the Cider Excellence awards at CiderCon. To see so many of our New York Cider friends and family being recognized as leaders is yet another reminder of New York’s meaningful impact on this industry as we all work together to advance the category of cider across the country,” says Scott Ramsey, Executive Director of the New York Cider Association.
“Each year at CiderCon we gather as an industry and a community. It’s both an opportunity to learn and to celebrate,” says Michelle McGrath, CEO of the ACA. “The awards we give out each year reach to all corners of the industry and are an incredible way to highlight the contributions of so many.”
Part of ACA’s Cider Excellence Awards mission is to celebrate the retailer and wholesaler tiers of the cider industry. In addition to cider producers and influencers, awards go to restaurants, bottle shops and distributors who are working to promote the diversity of the cider segment. To view the full list of winners of the 2023 Cider Excellence Awards and to learn more about each recipient, visit https://ciderassociation.org/2023-cider-excellence-award-winners-announced/.
Formed in 2015, the New York Cider Association (NYCA) is a leading independent trade association in the cider industry. Leading market development and innovation in the sector, NYCA produces a bi-annual Cider Week New York across all of New York State, has developed the Merlyn Dryness Scale, launched a collective mark to create brand identity and highlight cider made from 100% NY state apples, organized the Great American Cider Competition in partnership with the Raise a Glass Foundation, and actively works with the New York legislature in supporting the state’s cider producers. To learn more about NYCA, visit www.newyorkciderassociaiton.com.
–New York Cider Association
