Bauman’s Cider Company did something that no other producer has done earlier this summer. The Willamette Valley cider house produced a perfect score at the NW Cider Cup for its eminently-balanced Endless Harvest release. Like a red Bordeaux blend, this cider’s got structure, finesse, and flavor for days.
No cider has ever been awarded a perfect 50-point score until now. But perhaps it’s not a huge surprise, given that the winning release was created by Christine Bauman Walter. She’s been making some of the best fermented apples for years, relying on a local-first approach and food science background. She takes advantage of the bounty in her backyard, making ciders out of countless apple varietals along with adjuncts like loganberries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries.
A perfect 50 score
The eleventh consecutive installment of the Cup went down in June in Portland and is largely considered the most prominent competition in the Pacific Northwest. Endless Harvest got all 50 points in the High Tannin Dry Cider category, winning out against offerings from all over the region. The same cider was also runner-up for best in show (second only to another Bauman’s offering, the Mountain Rose SV Cider, made from the red-fleshed apple of the same name).
Best cider is a subjective title, of course, but at the Cup, widely considered to be the most rigorous contest of its kind, a big panel weighs in. Tasters are made up of industry pros, cider makers, buyers, and more. Some are even certified cider guides or pommeliers, essentially the fermented apple and pear version of sommeliers. Apparently, judges do a sensory training prior to the official blind tasting that’s part of the Cup.
Hundreds of entries competed from Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia. There are a number of style categories and the competition includes perry, or pear cider, as well. Walter’s great-great-grandmother started the label back in the early 20th Century, sourcing from a Willamette Valley farm that’s been in the family since 1895.
Momentum for local-first cider
The farm is impressive and supplies the label with so many of the raw ingredients that go into things like Bauman’s estate cider, fresh-hopped cider, loganberry cider, amphora-aged cider, and more. The Endless Harvest is everything a good cider can be — floral, fruit-driven, mouth-drying, lasting. It clocks in at a reasonably 6% ABV and is both crisp and refreshing.
This is tremendous news not only for the label but cider as a whole. The category tends to be overshadowed by craft beer and wine but continues to make waves, especially in the apple-heavy PNW. The American Cider Association estimates there to be around 1,000 hard cideries in the country and counting. That number increased an impressive 14.5% between 2022 and 2023.
Love cider? Check our our guides on making hard cider at home and some of the best cider cocktails to welcome autumn.
