And poof!  Just like that, Cider Week 2013 has come to a close.  While not really a “week,” per se, but instead ten days, Cider Week has descended on New York City for the past three years.  And with each successive year, it gets bigger and richer, with more than 200 bars and restaurants participating this year.  The apple rules the end of October on the streets of Gotham, and one can’t stumble more than a city block without bumping into a cider dinner, a flight of farmstead offerings, or a producer that’s been airlifted from her orchard a world away, and deposited in the heart of the urban jungle.

It was a damn busy one for me this year, and as the dust is still settling, I’m more in awe of what these producers sacrifice to pursue this, America’s greatest beverage, than ever before.  It was a great exchange of information, a great rallying cry for the farmstead cause, and a great celebration of their hard work.  I am thankful to have been involved in a slew of projects, and to have deepened my burgeoning knowledge and passion for the fermented juice of apples.

A quick round-up of my happenings this year revolving around the fine world of farmstead cider:

• NY Times Tasting Panel “Dry Cider, An American Favorite Rebounds”  (Eric Asimov)
• Men’s Health: “The 12 Hard Ciders to Drink this Fall” (Chris Malloy)
• Village Voice: “Cider Week Ends With a Bang at Applepalooza” (Lauren Mowery)
• Nation’s Restaurant News: “Cider: America’s Drink Returns”  (David Flaherty)
• USA Today: “New York’s Cider Houses Rule” (Colin Gustafson)
• Grub Street: “Wild Man: Meet New York’s Hottest Cider Producer” (Geoffrey Gray)
• Bon Appétit: “25 Ways to Reinvent Your Thanksgiving”
• Trade & Media Tastings:  “World of Cider” and “Cheese & Cider Pairing”
• All-Staff Tasting for Hearth & Terroir (staff from six locations)
• Cider Week:  21 ciders, Hearth savory menu pairings, and Cheese menu pairings
• “Meet the Producers” Cider Dinner at Hearth with Farnum Hill, Eve’s Cidery, and Eden Ice Cider
• NYU Medical School tasting
• “Applepalooza” Cheese & Cider Seminar with Elizabeth Chubbuck of Murray’s Cheese
• Cider Week Cheese & Cider Pairing Guide

Hearth & Terroir Cider Week 2013 List (click to enlarge)

Tags: Aaron Burr cider, Applepalooza, Cheese and Cider Pairing, Cider Week, Cider Week NY, Eden Ice Cider, Eve's Cidery, Farnum Hill, ggadex, NY Times Tasting Panel