Cider is having an American moment - thanks to a new generation of crafters
The first time Peter Yi tried Basque cider, it hit him like a lightning bolt. His experiences as a wine buyer left him thinking ciders were sweet, simple and didn’t pair well with food. But this one was different – aromatic, dry and complex, everything he expected from a fine wine.
“It took me 25 years of being in the wine industry to understand that this is the flavor I’ve been looking for all my life,” he says.
Fermentation felt natural to Yi, a Korean American, who had made kimchi and Korean rice wine. He became obsessed with making this style of cider in the US, eventually founding Brooklyn Cider House with his sister, Susan.
He’s not alone. Craft cider-making has boomed in the US in recent years, with new producers popping up around the country. Americans are drinking 10 times more cider than they were a decade ago, says Michelle McGrath, executive director of the American Cider Association (ACA). Small brands are now the industry’s hottest sector; the regional cider market share grew to 51% in early 2022, up from 29% in 2018, according to Nielsen’s most recent cider market review.
And as the industry expands, it’s getting more diverse. Today’s cider drinkers are younger, they come from different backgrounds, and they want brews made by people who look like them. Asian, Black and Latinx cider makers, in turn, are experimenting with new flavors and methods that celebrate their culture, while building connections to land and agriculture in an industry that has often overlooked their contributions.
For José Gonzalez Sr, a real estate broker in Salem, Oregon, the journey into cider-making began five years ago when he and his wife traveled to a cider festival in San Diego. They liked what they tasted, but something was
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