Today, we are happy to bring you our conversation with Gregory J. Hansard, author of Virginia Cider: A Guide from Colonial Days to Craft's Golden Age

What inspired you to write this book? 

In 2014, I worked on a program at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture where we took recipes from the archives and partnered with a brewery, meadery, or cidery to re-create it. My favorite collaboration was when Blue Bee Cider created a cider based on a recipe from The Compleat Housewife (the first cookbook published in the thirteen colonies.) A tasting of this flavorful, complex beverage and a discussion was held at the cidery where historian Dr. Sarah Meacham discussed how cider was colonial America’s beverage of choice and noted that the main producers of alcohol were women and enslaved workers. This program is what inspired me to write a story about Virginia’s rich cider history and the diverse cideries in the Commonwealth.

What did you learn and what are you hoping readers will learn from your book? 

I didn’t’ realize how many cideries were in Virginia and how different the ciders can be. With more than 50 cider producers in the state, each cidery has their own unique story, from urban businesses like Lost Boy in busy Alexandria to rural producers like Big Fish tucked away in Monterey. They all produce their own style; some use adjuncts, spices, and fruits that have been popular with other beverage industries and others focus solely on historic apples, recipes, and methods. I have tasted ciders aged in bourbon barrels and cofermentations with mead and wine. Cider makers use all kinds of ingredients including hibiscus, habaneros, and ginger. I think readers will find that despite what may be added, it’s still all about the apples!

What surprised you the most in the process of writing your book? 

There are two things that I was most surprised with. The first I discussed above with how diverse each cidery is, and the second is how collegial I found the Virginia cider industry to be. Even though it is a competive market and each business has their own mission, style, and beliefs, they are all willing to help each other out. Throughout my journey I’ve come across many partnerships from special cider tastings to cider festivals to the sharing of expertise in orchard practices and fermentation. It’s also interesting that Virginians collaborative approach is not something new. Since the 17th century, plantation owners and farmers have shared best practices and helpful tips for orchard maintenance and cider production throughout the Old Dominion’s history.

What’s your favorite anecdote from your book?

One of the biggest misconceptions that I hear is that all cider is sweet. Like wine or beer, it can be dry and tannic or tart depending on the ingredients and the production process. Heirloom cider apples like the touted Virginia Hewe’s Crab can create a fragrant, multi-faceted, dry beverage. Apple historian Lee Calhoun, claimed that Hewe’s “is the most celebrated cider apple ever grown in the South, making a dry cider unsurpassed in flavor…” Jefferson, Washington, and other prominent Virginians praised the apple for its cider making characteristics which can deliver tropical flavors with subtle notes of cinnamon, banana, and pear. Hewe’s is just one of the many Virginia cider examples that can be comparable to intricate white wines with adequate tannins and acidity.

What’s next? 

My previous book topics have come about because of something that I discovered while working at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. For my third book, I am researching another Virginia history topic; the SS Quanza. The museum held a model of this Portuguese ship that carried more than 300 refugees (mostly Jewish) from Hitler’s occupied Europe in the summer of 1940. After stops at New York and Vera Cruz more than 100 refugees remained on board. Destined to be returned to Europe, refugee advocates lobbied the U.S. government to allow these passengers to disembark in Hampton Roads. The book will look at the refugees’ journey from Europe to the Americas, U.S. immigration policy, refugee advocates, and the Hampton Roads community during WWII.