Snow Capped Cider Is Having a Big Year

Colorado's ciders scene is hot, with new trends continuing to emerge and leaders like Stem Ciders pushing innovation forward.

Snow Capped Cider, which is based in Cedaregde, a town located on the southern slope of the Grand Mesa in western Colorado, is another standout on the scene. So far this year, it's launched a new boutique cider lineup and is planning to open a tasting room.

The new series, appropriately named Elevation, highlights the heights at which the apples for the batch were grown. “Our fruit is 100 percent estate grown,” says co-owner Kari Williams, whose family has been growing fruit on the Western Slope for five generations.

The Elevation series blends some of the finest apples that Williams grows. Each batch is titled by elevation, with names like 6520’ and 6642’. The front of the bottle even includes the block and row in the orchard that the apples came from, as well as a raised topographical label design that adds character and detail to the glass.
The results are incredibly unique and delicious ciders that range from the sweet, sparkling and expressive 6456’ to the deep, sophisticated, dry and rustic 6642’. Whereas Snow Capped's single-blend bottles in the Specialty and Reserve series highlight the character of each individual apple, the Elevation series blends them together to create a layered, rich and refined experience.

What makes these high-elevation ciders so delicious also comes with a catch, however. “These are high-risk, high-reward apples,” says Williams. Between hail, late-season frosts, extreme temperature swings and dry conditions, whole fields can be wiped out. Williams hedges against that by planting many varieties of apples in over a half-dozen fields spread out across the valley. She also continues to seek out and plant lost and forgotten cider apples from pre-Prohibition, as well as highly regarded varieties from overseas.

There was a time, about sixty years ago, when the area was lined with apple orchards, but Williams’s family is the only major one left. She credits three factors. First, the orchards are lined with wind machines and propane heaters, to raise the temperature by over ten degrees when late-season frosts hit.

Next, the family has been quick to embrace new varieties. For example, they were growing Galas when most everyone else was sticking with Red Delicious. And finally, the hard work and tenacity that have continued throughout the generations. Williams herself almost never takes a vacation, and when she does, the trips are usually to cider conventions and awards ceremonies, not beaches and ski resorts.
While Williams isn’t certain if the Elevation series will add to or replace some of the room allocated for her ciders on liquor-store shelves and restaurant menus, it’s fairly certain to be well received by consumers. This is because ciders from just about every lineup Snow Capped makes are award-winners.

The Elevation series claimed a quartet of medals awarded to 6642’, 6520’, 6456’ and 6352’ at the prestigious Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP) before it was even released to the public. Snow Capped received a total of thirty awards for its various ciders this year, tying for the most awards in the competition.

With the focus on quality cider and a growing appreciation for it, Williams feels it's the right time to open a tasting room. She purchased an old gas station in Cedaredge, on the corner with the only stoplight in town. Plans include the restoration of an old gas pump on the patio, as well as a special “Garage” wine line, called 6130, featuring familiar styles such as Pinot, Merlot and rosé.
The tasting room should be open this summer, in advance of the town’s big Applefest, a three-day event in early October that draws over 20,000 visitors and helps sustain the myriad small businesses in the area.

Snow Capped recently expanded its distribution to California, as well, which Williams celebrated at a launch party at the famous Redfield Cider Bar & Bottle Shop in Oakland. The company is also making inroads in some of the higher-end restaurants in Denver. Rosé cider was poured at last year’s Rosé Party, an annual event hosted by Guard and Grace that raises scholarship funds for aspiring female wine professionals.

Consumers in Denver can also get a taste by visiting the many liquor stores, bars and restaurants where Snow Capped is sold. And when its tasting room opens, it will be a destination-worthy spot.