On Sunday, September 24th, from 1 pm – 4 pm, Merridale Cidery & Distillery will host the 5th annual Cider Harvest Festival at its farm and orchard in Cobble Hill. Bringing together over fifteen of BC’s top landbased cideries, the festival is a celebration of true craft cider, inviting attendees to experience extraordinary products and meet the makers in this annual tasting adventure. The Cider Harvest Festival is a celebration of the worldclass ciders that are created from the unique terroir of British Columbia. Guests will have the rare opportunity to taste the passion, quality and dedication that goes into creating craft cider throughout the province.
Each cidery featured at the festival is a member of the B.C. Farm Crafted Cider Association (BCFCCA), which is dedicated to strict eligibility standards. All members must be independently 100% BC owned, make cider with at least 95% juice content, not from concentrate, make their cider in small batches, slow ferment their cider and make their cider on the same farm where the apples are grown.
The results? True craft cider that is produced by dedicated and innovative B.C. cider makers who are hugely passionate about what they are creating and are excited to share this with guests at the Cider Harvest Festival. Each cider represents unique flavours and characteristics that can’t be reproduced on a mass scale. By following nature’s lead and letting their innovative spirits guide them, each craft cidery attending the festival is dedicated to producing high-quality, farm-crafted cider that is distinctive and unparalleled to the regions of British Columbia.
“We’re hosting some of the best craft cideries that BC has to offer. It is important to us to highlight and celebrate other land-based cideries who are working to create sustainable businesses that are good for the industry, the environment and the communities where they live and operate,” says Janet Docherty, Co-ow er of Merridale Cidery & Distillery. Merridale is excited to host this exceptional festival and tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online for $45 which includes shuttle transportation from Victoria, Langford, Duncan and Nanaimo.
The event also includes a pop-up liquor store where you can purchase a selection of featured BC products that aren’t available anywhere else as well as hand-held eats. The Cider Harvest Festival offers guests the rare opportunity to taste the flavours of British Columbia in one spot. A few of the participating cideries this year are Merridale Cidery & Distillery, Raven’s Moon Estate Winery & Cider, Junction Cidery, Naramata Cider Com any, Salt Spring Wild Cider, Ciderworks / Salt Spring Apple Company Ltd, Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse, Upside Cidery, Valley Cider Company, Victoria Cider Co. and Creek and Gully Cider.
Tickets to the festival are on sale now and can be purchased through the Merridale website www.merridale.ca.
Bonnie Nethery (she/her/hers)
Hospitality & Marketing
Manager Merridale Cidery & Distillery