News & Press

We are excited to invite you to join us on November 5th for our 22nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival!

Rain or Shine: Join us for one of the most anticipated festivals of autumn, the Apple Harvest Festival hosted by the CoveGarden Ruritans and Albemarle CiderWorks!

Find many of your favorite farmers' market vendors, local artisans, and craftsmen demonstrating their skills. Enjoy Brunswick stew and apple butter or grab some to go.* Dig your teeth into a variety of apples and taste an array of CiderWorks' fine sparkling ciders. Dance the afternoon away with live music from local bands, and take a hayride around the mountain. 

RSVP HERE FOR UPDATES

Drive Thru Stew & Apple Butter

Not comfortable in a crowd? Drive-thru Brunswick stew and apple butter will be available for a limited time. All proceeds go directly to the CoveGarden Ruritans Club. Visit shop.albemarleciderworks.com/Festival to place your pre-order. Pre-orders will be accepted through October 28, 2022.

Entertainment

- Hayrides over the mountainside, all-day

- Live Music Schedule:

• TBA

Apple Pie Contest

Enter a pie into the Apple Pie Contest. Entries must be made by 11:30 am the day of the festival. The first-place winner receives a $100 gift certificate from Vintage Virginia Apples and Albemarle CiderWorks. The judging panel will be comprised of local food luminaries, so bring your A-game!

Details for the Apple Pie Contest:

Please email fruit@albemarleciderworks.com to preregister. Put "Pie Contest" in the subject line, give your name, phone number, and why you want to enter, or a little background about your recipe/method.

All entries should be turned in to the events tent by 11:30 on the day of the festival.

Once entered into the contest, the pie will become the property of the CoveGarden Ruritan club to be sold by the piece after the contest. Proceeds will go to their charitable efforts.

Each entry should be accompanied by a card with a name, phone number, and recipe (including crust ingredients and what varieties of apples were used).

All pies should be in a disposable pie tin.

Winners will be announced at 12:30, prizes will be awarded in person or via email.

Thinking about starting your own home orchard? Or maybe you're considering planting a tree or two? If so, our Planning and Planting Workshop is a great way to begin.

Learn about site selection, and soil preparation and get the tools you need to start the planning process successfully. Rich Marini, Professor of Horticulture at Penn State, and the Vintage Virginia apple staff will present a comprehensive workshop on planning, managing, and cultivating the home orchard.

Tickets also include:

• Educational Workshop
• A tour of Rural Ridge Orchards 
• Lunch* 

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

*Please notify us of any dietary restrictions at least two weeks prior to the event.

Cancellation Policy: For refund, cancellations must be received 10 days prior to the event.

Of course, you’ve heard of Granny Smith and Red Delicious, but what about Esopus Spitzenburg and Belle de Boskoop? At Albemarle CiderWorks, we cultivate over 250 unique apple varieties, and we want to share them with you! 

Join our CEO, in-house apple experience, and studied historian, Charlotte Shelton on a journey through culinary history and the apples that made the cut. While you taste a variety of unique and heritage apples, Charlotte will treat you to the story of each fruit, its origin, development, and how each shines best on the table (and in the bottle). From Arkansas Black to Zabergau Reinette, this unique experience offers an elevated look at apples from across the pages of history and the globe.

Tastings will begin at 1pm on all dates and run for about an hour.

Tickets Include:

• Tasting of 6-8 rotating fruit varieties*
• 1 glass of cider showcasing at least one of the varieties from the tasting**
• ½ peck of apples to take home* (~5lbs)

Please contact events@albemarleciderworks.com for large group (8+) reservations

*Varieties dependent on season and availability

**Non-alcoholic, fresh juice can be substituted when available and if desired

• Light bites and hard cider will be available for purchase by the glass, bottle, or flight.
• Outside food is welcome; feel free to bring a picnic!
• ABC laws prohibit the consumption of outside alcoholic beverages

Join Charlotte Shelton, CEO of Albemarle CiderWorks and Vintage Virginia Apples, on a journey through culinary history and the apples that made the cut for their award-winning ciders. While you taste a variety of unique and heritage apples, Charlotte will treat you to the story of the featured fruits and how each shines best on the table, and in the bottle! From Arkansas Black to Zabergau Reinette, this unique experience offers an elevated look at apples from across the pages of history and the globe. Participants can look forward to sampling six seasonal apple varieties as well as four ciders, all expertly crafted at Albemarle CiderWorks. 

This installment of this class will take place on Thursday, November 17th at the Be Just Classroom in Belmont. All necessary materials will be provided. Must be 21 years of age or older to participate.

 About the instructor:

Charlotte has worn many hats over the years, often simultaneously, and acting as the CEO of Vintage Virginia Apples and Albemarle CiderWorks hasn't changed any of that. Charlotte has career backgrounds in both academics and the finance industry, both of which serve her well at Albemarle CiderWorks. As any visitor to the Albemarle CiderWorks tasting room will discover, cider enjoys a rich history with deep roots in both Europe and America, and it is Charlotte's special pleasure to educate our patrons about that history.

Learn More & Book Tickets

Grab a glass and join us for live music by Michael Clem!

A recent nominee for BEST OF C-VILLE 2022 in the “Music Artist” category, local singer-songwriter Michael Clem has managed to continue his life as a full-time musician for several decades.  For 31 years, Clem has been playing bass, singing and writing songs for the national touring act he co-founded, Eddie from Ohio.  Over that time, EFO has amassed a sizable grassroots following, released nine CDs (all independently) & collected numerous Washington Area Music Association Awards.  Since 2008, with the band slowing down, Clem has relocated from Northern Virginia to Charlottesville where he’s established quite a foothold in its musical scene, with a variety of solo, duo, trio & ensemble configurations.

Clem has established a firm place in the local troubadour community for the past ten years, hosting the long-running Monday night Songwriter Night at The Local in Charlottesville. Clem is also currently a resident teacher for Songwriting at The Front Porch.

***This event is replacing the previously scheduled band Bomar & Ritter***

• Light bites and hard cider will be available for purchase by the glass, bottle, or flight.
• Outside food is welcome; feel free to bring a picnic!
• ABC laws prohibit the consumption of outside alcoholic beverages

*Musicians will set up in the Orchard Room during inclement weather and the winter season