The Cider Revival: Dispatches from the Orchard

Written by Jason Wilson

Narrated by Chris Henry Coffey

Cider is having a major moment, and The Cider Revival charts its history, resurgence, and a year with the vanguard makers of heritage cider 

Cider is the quintessential American beverage. Drank by early settlers and founding fathers, it was ubiquitous and pervasive, but following Prohibition when orchards were destroyed and neglected, cider all but disappeared. In The Cider Revival, Jason Wilson chronicles what is happening now, an extraordinary rebirth that is less than a decade old.

Following the seasons through the autumn harvest, winter fermentation, spring bottling, and summer festival and orchard work, Wilson travels around New York and New England, with forays to the Midwest, the West Coast, and Europe. He meets the new heroes of cider: orchardists who are rediscovering long lost apple varieties, cider makers who have the attention to craftsmanship of natural wine makers, and beverage professionals who see cider as poised to explode in popularity. What emerges is a deeply rewarding story, an exploration of cider’s identity and future, and its cultural and environmental significance. A blend of history and travelogue, The Cider Revival is a toast to a complex drink.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abrams Books
• Release date: Sep 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781419746062

Jason Wilson

JASON WILSON, series editor, is the author of Godforsaken Grapes, Boozehound, and The Cider Revival. He is the creator of the newsletter and podcast Everyday Drinking. Wilson has been the series editor of The Best American Travel Writing since its inception in 2000. His work can be found at jasonwilson.com.

Reviews for The Cider Revival

[ladycato · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.Cider is as important a food within American history as, well, apple pie, but it's not often given the respect it deserves. When it comes to alcohol, beer and wine usually get the attention. Jason Wilson does good work to correct that imbalance in The Cider Revival, a thoughtful analysis of the American cider industry and how it has evolved in recent years, and ways in which that is both a good and bad thing. I love cider, but I confess, I didn't know a lot about it, other than that I wish it was more widely available at establishments. One of the big joys of my recent dream-come-true trip to the UK was finding cider for sale just about everywhere. Having read this book, I feel like my eyes have been opened. Wilson explores the history of cider, from Thoreau's "Wild Apples" book to William Henry Harrison's contentious 1840 presidential campaign where he dubbed himself "the log cabin and hard cider candidate," and into many still-contentious matters of the modern era. More than three-quarters of US cider is produced by large brands such an Angry Orchard, Strong Bow, and Woodchuck, and all are owned by massive drinks conglomerates, and many of their lines use juice concentrate. Even among smaller producer, there are debates and divisive regional differences, such as the northeast's emphasis on heritage apples and foraging, while the west coast is more inclined to go hipster mode and mix other fruits or botanicals in with apples, producing cider than makes some people scoff if it is cider at all.I respect and appreciate how Wilson breaks it all down. His approach is very personal; he makes known his own biases. I have wondered myself about how things like dry, semi-dry, and sweet are determined, and it turns out, such labels are pretty arbitrary. And I'm apparently a rare person who wants a genuinely sweet cider; I really don't like the major cider brands because I find them not only dry but bland. Reading about heritage apples makes me eager to try more of them for myself--I want to taste the difference made by tannins and specific apples. Near the end of the book, Wilson explores other parts of the world where cider is more ingrained in society, such as Spain, where Basque ciders are traditionally poured from a high-held bottle to release carbonic gas, to France, where Normandy's Route du Cidre includes a 25-mile loop packed with homemade purveyors of not only cider but cheese. I now know for certain where I need to go on my next international vacation.This book has changed how I regard cider. From here on, I will read labels and drink with new thoughtfulness.