We’re a little more than two weeks away from Oregon Cider Week — an 11-day jam-packed celebration of Oregon cider, hosted by the Northwest Cider Association (NWCA). Cider producers from all over the Beaver State come together to revel in cider, throwing a daily variety of special events like festivals, workshops, food pairings, tap takeovers and more. The festivities commence June 15 and wrap up on June 25.
“Oregon Cider Week is an excellent opportunity to educate consumers about our cidermakers here, how cider is made, the history of it and the new innovations that our membership is creating,” says Emily Ritchie, executive director of the NWCA.
Kickoff the week and taste the Northwest’s best libations with the second annual Portland International Cider Cup Awards Party, a trade-only event. “We held a cider competition in April to judge the best ciders made in the Northwest,” Ritchie says. “Medals and Best of Show were awarded, and the party will be the unveiling of the results.”
If you miss the first day, don’t worry; there are plenty more cider bonanzas to get in on. Explore the cidermaking process at OMSI After Dark: Ciderfest, ride along with Brewvana for a Portland cidery tour or witness breweries and cideries face off at the Snakebite Showdown.
Don’t miss the epicenter of the Oregon Cider Week events: Cider Summit PDX on June 16-17. The seventh annual, two-day festival showcases cider selections from international and Pacific Northwest regional cider producers.
“The mission behind Cider Summit was to try to build interest in artisanal cider from all over the world,” says founder Alan Shapiro, who also hosts Cider Summits in Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago.
If food, drink and live music wasn’t enough, attendees can look forward to exploring more cider selections than ever before. “Out of over 195 selections, half of those have never been in the Portland’s Cider Summit,” Shapiro says. “So it won’t be the same old, same old.”
