Albemarle CiderWorks

Who we are: Albemarle CiderWorks is a family-run Cidery and Tasting Room that produces hard cider from heritage varieties of apples that can thrive in Albemarle County, Virginia. Thomas Jefferson experimented with 18 or more varieties of apples at Monticello, only a few miles from our orchard at Rural Ridge. We grow a dozen or so of those heritage cultivars that are still extant as well as other old-fashioned varieties that are blended to create full-bodied ciders to rival those produced in the Colonial era.

In April 2010, Albemarle CiderWorks won the Beverage Artisan category in Edible Blue Ridge Magazine's first-ever "Local Hero Awards." This means that Edible Blue Ridge readers, voting online, chose Albemarle CiderWorks as the best local beverage artisan. We are honored to receive this award in our very first year of production.

To learn more about the varieties of cider we are producing and the process we use, click on the menu choices at left.

Cider Labels Albemarle CiderWorks

Albemarle CiderWorks, located at Rural Ridge Orchard in North Garden, Virginia, is owned and operated by the Shelton family. The Cidery, Apple Barn, and Tasting Room are now open to the public. Three labels are available for tasting and for sale to the public.

Albemarle CiderWorks was founded in 2008 by the Shelton family as an additional product line to the thriving Vintage Virginia Apples orchard and nursery. We began by planting interesting apple varieties and now have more than 200 varieties. We pull from these varieties to create our distinctive cider labels.

A Grand Opening on July 13, 2009, inaugurated our new Tasting Room! Special guests, including Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, were on hand to recognize Albemarle CiderWorks as a unique and promising new business venture for Virginia and Albemarle County.

The Tasting Room is open from Wednesdays through Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tastings are available for patrons 21 years of age or older at $5.00 per person. Four unique hard cider blends are available for sale.

Tasting Room