Drink Local! Northern Virginia is ripe with wineries, cideries, breweries, and distilleries. Here’s a look at some of our favorite tasting rooms and taprooms — and what to pick up when you visit.
When we began exploring Virginia wine country in 2018 — after my husband and I relocated from California — our first stop was a detour to Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery (495 E. Washington St., Middleburg), to quench his craving for the beverage. We were impressed then, and now. Mt. Defiance, founded by Marc Chretien in 2014, focuses on small-batch, traditional-style ciders (unfiltered, unpasteurized, and unsweetened) crafted using apples sourced from a fourth-generation local grower.
The staple Farmhouse Cider is dry and crisp, while the newer Albemarle Pippin Reserve is a single-apple variety cider using fruit that originated in the 1700s. (Chretien has a penchant for “antique” apples.) General’s Hard Reserve Cider is aged in oak bourbon barrels, giving it a darker color with hints of caramel and vanilla. It’s named in honor of Chretien’s commanding general during the time he served in Afghanistan as a political adviser. Despite its classical leanings, Mt. Defiance also makes fruited options with ginger or blueberries — plus whiskey and other spirits.
Mt. Defiance is among the 50-plus hard cideries across the commonwealth capitalizing on Virginia’s abundance of the flavorful fruit. There are more than 30 varieties in the state, although most cider makers use four kinds of apples: sweets, sharps, bittersweets, and bittersharps. Cider is made from fermented apple juice, and makers frequently get creative with co-fermentations and infusions.
Wild Hare Hard Cider Pubs (locations in Berryville, Fredericksburg, Leesburg, and Warrenton) provides modern twists for folks who prefer their cider on the sweeter side. The tropical-infused Coba features pineapple, coconut, and Amarillo hops. Wild Hare, which debuted in 2015, handcrafts its selections from its Shenandoah Valley orchard; cider maker Justin Madaj presses the apples then cool-ferments the juice to dry and ages it for more than a year. Hatch, a heritage dry cider, is Wild Hare’s flagship.
Lost Boy Cider (317 Hooffs Run Dr., Alexandria), an industrial microbrewery introduced by Tristan Wright in 2019, also has traditional takes, like the dry, sugar-free Comeback Kid. Lost Boy crafts its ciders from 27 apple varieties grown in Shenandoah, many from just south of Winchester, where its press operation is located. (Fermentation occurs in Alexandria.) Mainstays (such as the aforementioned Comeback Kid) use a proprietary blend of seven apples, while single varietals incorporate iterations like the Harrison. There are plenty of boundary-pushers, too. On Mondays, Lost Boy releases a weekly beverage — think the Sour Patch Kids, made with the tart candy — while the Explorer series cracks open fun co-fermentations with coffee or wine. (And Lost Girl Wine launched earlier this year.) A pick for winter? Little Prince, made with rose water and Earl Grey tea for a mellow taste — perfect for sipping on a cold night in.
Feature image courtesy Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery
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This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
