Bold Rock Cidery
1020 Rockfish Valley Hwy. (Nellysford)
361-1030
boldrock.com
Runner-up:
Albemarle Ciderworks
2545 Rural Ridge Ln. (North Garden)
297-2326
albemarleciderworks.com
Bold Rock makes cider so tasty you could almost bathe in it. In fact, in the 14th century, that’s what people did: As it was often more sanitary than water, kids were baptized in cider. We can’t imagine a better scenario, especially if the tub had been filled with one of this year’s top performers. In Nellysford, Bold Rock combines the talents of a Blue Ridge Mountain farmer and cidermaker from New Zealand. Albemarle Ciderworks in North Garden, founded in 2009, is the elder statesman of the cider revival and grows its own fruit under the name Vintage Virginia Apples.