Celebrate cider this November for VA Cider Week at Early Mountain Vineyards with our latest"wineflight".Fizzy hard cider is back!Back in the day, our forefathers drank crafted hard cider because it was safer than water and John Adams honestly believed this beloved beverage did keep the doctor away.He drank a tankard of cider every morning with breakfast!However, with prohibition, our cider heritage suffered: apples made for cider (generally high in tannins and acidity) were forsaken for sweeter apples, more suitable for eating.As a result, many of the mass market ciders we became familiar with were sweet and more akin to wine coolers.Thankfully, over the last decade, a handful of American producers are beginning to revive the craft, and in Virginia, we proudly boast 9 cider producers who are putting heritage-style craft cider back on our table. &nbsp;‍ Help us celebrate our heritage instyle! Taste through 4 differentstylesof cider from 3 of our favorite Virginia Cideries: Foggy Ridge, Albemarle Ciderworks and Potter's Craft. Our carefully selected flight starts withAlbemarle CiderWorks' GoldRush.While most ciders are made from a blend of many different types of apple, this cider is a rare treat because it achieves structure and balance with a single variety, the Gold Rush apple.Expect a refreshing and zingy tartness, but don't drink likeJohnAdams with this one at 10% alcohol, this is stronger than the average joe!Next up,side-by-side examples of what barrel aging means to cider, brought to you by the dynamic duo behindPotter's Craft Cider.Their Farmhouse Dry is similar to a Belgian-style beer.It's also dry and refreshing, but has a structured yeasty note on the finish.It's followed by Potter's Craft Oak Barrel Reserve, which spends time aging in brandy barrels, and imparts a creamy, full mouth feel with intense vanilla and brandied caramel notes. The last cider in our flight is from first official cider maker in Virginia - and arguably the "grand dame" of the East Coast's Cider resurgence,Diane Flynt ofFoggy Ridge Cider.Her Sweet Stayman is mainly comprised of the old-fashioned Stayman apple.It is comparable to a fine-tuned Riesling.It's tart, but also slightly sweet and an excellent pair with spicier dishes.