Albemarle, Where Cider Works!

It’s hard to think of local cider without Albemarle CiderWorks, but there was a time when they did not exist.

1986 — after retiring from the Virginia Department of Forestry, E.R. “Bud” Shelton purchased a small farm in southern Albemarle County and moved there with his wife Mary and their kids Charlotte, Chuck, Bill and Todd. A few years later, in the early 1990s, siblings Charlotte and Chuck attended some heirloom apple tastings at Monticello. They were run by family friend and pomologist Tom Buford as part of Monticello’s Saturday Morning in the Garden series.

At Buford’s talks, Charlotte and Chuck got bitten by the heritage apple bug, or, shall we say, the seed was planted. They started growing heritage apples on the family farm. Over the years, they branched off (no pun intended) from ancient varieties to equally as interesting modern varieties. Finally, in 2000, they formalized their operation, founding Vintage Virginia Apples — a nursery that cultivates vintage, heirloom, and other apples, selling saplings to other fruit enthusiasts.

Of course, if you have apples — specifically if you have a specialty orchard with over 250 varieties of apples — what other things can you do with them? In 2009, the family launched Albemarle CiderWorks, a venture where they made wine-inspired dry cider from their collection of heirloom and specialty apples. While Chuck retired in 2005, Charlotte and Bill still oversee the business with Bill’s daughter Anne.

This Thursday, please join guest pourer Guy Wallis from Albemarle CiderWorks to sample some of their ciders. This is a free, walk-up tasting that you’re welcome to join any time between 5:00 and 6:30 PM.