Announcing the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show Cider Competition Winners

Saturday, January 4, 2020, marked the 3rd Annual Cider Competition at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. The judging took place in December, with a panel of five cider professionals from across the country coming together to taste more than 100 entries across nine different categories. It was a strong showing for the PA cider community, which, with over 40 cideries, ranks us fifth in the United States in terms of number of cider producers.

In the Main Hall of the PA Farm Show Complex, the winners were announced by Cider Guild member Mary Bigham, and medals were awarded by Cheryl Cook, the deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Here are the winners, organized by stylistic category:

CLASS 1, MODERN DRY:

CLASS 2, MODERN SWEET

CLASS 3, HERITAGE:

CLASS 4, SOUR CIDER:

  • 1st Place: Dressler Estate: Wild Jonagold
  • 2nd Place: Kurant Cider (Philadelphia, PA): Viejo
  • 3rd Place: Frecon Farms (Boyertown, PA): Farmhouse

CLASS 5, FRUIT CIDER:

  • 1st Place (tied): Kurant Cider: Pitch
  • 1st Place (tied) Stone & Key Cellars (Montgomeryville, PA): Cherry Pie
  • 2nd Place: Stone & Key Cellars: Pineapple X-Press
  • 3rd Place (tied): Frecon Farms: Cidre Cherry
  • 3rd Place (tied): Ploughman Cider: Bluebird Day

CLASS 6, HOPPED CIDERS:

  • 1st Place: Threadbare Cider (Pittsburgh, PA): Hopped
  • 2nd Place: Godfrey Run (Lake City, PA): Hopped
  • 3rd Place: Kurant Cider: Earth

CLASS 7, SPICED CIDERS:

  • 1st Place: Threadbare Cider: Bouquet de Rosé
  • 2nd Place: Threadbare Cider: Fall Spice
  • 3rd Place: Arsenal Cider House: Grant’s Flying Pumpkin

CLASS 8, WOOD-AGED CIDERS:

  • 1st Place: Dressler Estate: Outpost
  • 2nd Place: Dressler Estate: King in Arms
  • 3rd Place (tied): Big Hill Ciderworks: Barrel Aged Reserve
  • 3rd Place (tied): Good Intent Cider: North Meets South

CLASS 9, DESSERT CIDER

  • 1st Place: Wyndridge Farm: Pommeau
  • 2nd Place: Deep Roots Hard Cider (Sugar Run, PA): Honey Pommeau
  • 3rd Place: Stone & Key Cellars: Ice Cider

BEST IN SHOW, THE SECRETARY’S CUP

The PA Cider Guild and PA Farm Show were proud to honor the Best in Show Cider with the Secretary’s Cup, awarded to the best cider made in the Commonwealth each year. The 2020 Secretary’s Cup was awarded to:

  • Wyndridge Farm of Dallastown, for “Northern Spy”

This cider, which was first released in November 2017, was Wyndridge’s Cider Master Scott Topel’s first Heritage Reserve cider. It was fermented entirely with Northern Spy apples from Peters Orchards in Gardners, PA. Wonderfully acidic and bright, with plenty of aromatics, Northern Spy was aged 10 months on Wyndridge Farm.

It is a wonderful thing to watch our community learn, grow, and continue to put out amazing products. Many congrats to the 3rd Annual Cider Competition winners!

For more information on how to get involved with the Pennsylvania Cider Guild, visit our website, follow on Facebook and sign up for our email newsletter for updates.