We are now accepting submissions for the 6th Annual Cidercraft Awards! The top four winning ciders from each category will be awarded medals (platinum, double gold, gold and silver), creating the ultimate cider shopping guide for readers!
The ciders will be tasted blind by a panel of leading cider palates, judges and professionals. The medalists will be announced May 18, 2023 to Cidercraft readers and followers through cidercraftmag.com, a digital awards issue, social media channels and valued partners.
Cidercraft Awards are open to all commercially produced ciders and are available for consumers to purchase.
***Please be sure to read submission guidelines and instructions carefully. Categories and descriptions are outlined below.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- Deadline to submit and product delivered is Tuesday, April 25
- Cost of entry is $65 USD for each individual product submitted. Payment is accepted by check at the address listed below, or credit card online by clicking HERE. The applicable fees must be paid with submission to be entered in the judging.
- Please fill out the submission form HERE .
- Each form provides for up to five (5) submissions. If you are submitting more than five (5) products, submit one form and start a second (or third) until you are finished. The submission will not be entered if the judging form is not completed online and payment received.
- For 750-milliliter bottles, send three (3) samples each. For 64-ounce growlers, send one (1) sample each. Dessert/fortified submit (2) samples. For everything else, send four (4) samples of each.
- If a cider can apply to more than one category, a producer may submit it into both categories as separate submissions. If a single category is preferred, select the category in which the cider’s dominant characteristics would best fit.
- Please avoid shipping products using popcorn packing materials.
- Competition judging date are May 9-10, 2023.
In the instance when a cider is submitted to the wrong category, the Cidercraft team will recategorize that submission. Though unlikely if a category does not have enough submissions to facilitate its own category, ciders will be moved to an appropriately fitting category. If it cannot be moved, the submission will be refunded. The producer will be notified of any changes.
SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS
- Carefully package all glass-format ciders, especially growlers, as shipping companies are not always gentle.
- PLEASE do not use packing peanuts or popcorn.
- Ship all entries and check payments to the following address:
Seattle Wine Storage
Attn: Cidercraft Magazine
9401 Aurora Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
For in-person delivery, you may drop off directly to Seattle Wine Storage and let them know the delivery is for Cidercraft. Seattle Wine Storage is open from 12-6pm, daily.
CATEGORIES
BERRY (New): Cider base infused with any combination of berries. This cider is berry only.
BOTANICAL: Cider base infused with any combination of herbs, nectars, leaves, tea, etc.
COCKTAIL INSPIRED (New): Ciders with apple or pear base, that are influenced by cocktails (ex. paloma, sangria, margarita, mojito, mimosa).
DESSERT/FORTIFIED: Ice cider, late harvest, pommeau-style or other styles with spirits added.
FRUIT: Cider base infused or co-fermented with other fruits, such as pear, tropical fruit, etc. Stone Fruit ciders have their own category.
HIGH TANNIN – Dry- up to 2% RS Apple- only, focused on the specific apple used,. Ciders in this category are made primarily with bittersweet and/or bittersharp apples and the resulting cider has significant bittersweet/bittersharp characteristics and tannin content. Apples may include multi-use and cider-specific apples (such as Dabbinet, Chisel Jersey, Domaine, Frequin Rouge) resulting in higher tannin content. Please specify in the “adjunct or style descriptor” section the type of apple(s) used in the cider. This was the prior Heritage category. PLEASE NOTE IN THE DESCRIPTION SECTION WHAT TYPE OF APPLE(S) ARE USED.
HIGH TANNIN – Sweet – >2.0% RS Apple- only, focused on the specific apple used,. Ciders in this category are made primarily with bittersweet and/or bittersharp apples and the resulting cider has significant bittersweet/bittersharp characteristics and tannin content. Apples may include multi-use and cider-specific apples (such as Dabbinet, Chisel Jersey, Domaine, Frequin Rouge) resulting in higher tannin content. Please specify in the “adjunct or style descriptor” section the type of apple(s) used in the cider. This was the prior Heritage category. PLEASE NOTE IN THE DESCRIPTION SECTION WHAT TYPE OF APPLE(S) ARE USED.
IMPERIAL CIDERS (New) – Ciders with higher-than-average alcohol content and bold flavors. Imperial ciders have an ABV of 8% or higher. Please note ABV in the description section.
MODERN – Dry — up to 2% RS: Apple only, focused on the specific apples, dessert/culinary or multi-purpose apples (such as Fuji, Newtown Pippin, McInosh, Golden Russet). Resulting cider is fresh, high acid with little to no tannin.
MODERN – Sweet — >2.0% RS: Apple only, focused on the specific apples, dessert/culinary or multi-purpose apples (such as Fuji, Newtown Pippin, McInosh, Golden Russet). Resulting cider is fresh, high acid with little to no tannin.
HOPPED: Cider base that has hops added.
NATURAL: This category should be for natural ‘style’ ciders -which include Spanish sidra style ciders and other ciders with significant wild yeast/ bacterial characteristics. Also includes ‘low intervention’ winemaking style ciders. These ciders do not have significant bittersweet characteristics.
PERRY: 100% fermented pear, made from pear varieties grown specifically for perry production, as well as those made from culinary/table pears. Can be labeled as pear cider as long as it is exclusively pear juice. Blended pear and apple ciders go in the Fruit category.
PÉT NAT (New): The pét nat process involves achieving carbonation through the fermentation process rather than infusing CO2 into the beverage. These ciders may be spontaneously fermented or pitched, but must be bottle finished. Apple and/or pear only, apples used may be dessert/culinary or cider-specific.
ROSÉ (Red-Fleshed Varieties) (New): Cider with a pinkish hue made heritage cider apples, including red-fleshed varieties. A cider may be pinkish in color and the cidermaker may choose not to use the rosé cider nomenclature, but all rosé ciders are pinkish in color.
SINGLE VARIETAL: A showcase of one varietal; must be 80% varietal and apple only.
SPECIALTY: A catchall category for unique blends, a cider base infused with any specialty ingredients such as squash, coffee, rhubarb, New England-style, etc. Also including cysers.
SPICED: Cider base infused with any combination of spices or spicy vegetables, such as baking spices, habaneros, ginger, etc.
STONE FRUIT: Cider base infused or co-fermented with stone fruit, such as cherry, apricot, plum, etc.
TROPICAL (New): Cider based infused or co-fermented with ONLY tropical fruits such as dragon fruit, acai, pineapple, guava and papaya.
WOOD-AGED: Ciders aged in or with wood, such as barrels, oak cubes, chips, staves, etc.
