In celebration of Virginia Cider Week, Potter’s Craft Cider will host an exclusive two-day open house at their cidery in Free Union this upcoming weekend. Potter’s Craft Cider is typically closed to the public, but on Nov. 18 and 19, the cidery will open its doors from noon to 4 p.m., giving guests the chance to sample limited release ciders and tour the facility.

The free, weekend-long event gives visitors an inside look into how and where Potter’s creates its crisp and fruity craft ciders that are available at the cidery’s two urban locations—the Tasting Room & Cider Garden in Charlottesville and the Airstream mobile tasting room at Crozet’s Greenwood Gourmet Grocery.

The 10 ciders available for tasting and purchase will include Potter’s flagship Farmhouse Dry, several small batch and seasonal ciders from the Sapling Series like Grapefruit Hibiscus, Ginger & Honey and the new wild yeast Concord & Brett, as well as the limited release Perry and Cherry Vanilla ciders.

The Perry and Cherry Vanilla ciders were created specifically for special events and are rarely available outside of Potter’s tasting room. The Perry is crafted with wild pears from the Free Union Grass Farm, while the Cherry Vanilla features subtle flavors of tart Montmorency cherries and Madagascar vanilla beans.

Potter’s open house not only invites guests to tour their private facility, but to support local organizations as well. Potter’s Craft Cider will host a food and supplies drive in conjunction with two local nonprofit organizations, The Haven and Charlottesville Food Not Bombs, to give back to the Central Virginian community.

Potter’s encourages visitors to donate items such as coffee, towels and washcloths, laundry detergent, warm socks, men and women’s underwear, non-perishable food, heavy duty garbage bags, stamps and nuts. Guests who donate at least two items will be given a $1 coupon, redeemable for any Côte-Rôtie food item or cider purchased at the open house.

Potter’s Craft Cider is located at 4699 Catterton Road, Free Union. Visit Potter’s Craft Cider’s Facebook page for further event details.

Written By

Grace Silipigni