Sonoma Cider

Closes soon? Really? It was 430 and while somebody appeared to be drinking I was told they were closed! Are you kidding me?
Silly me thinking I could choose cider in wine country! I’d avoid these bros.

I really didn’t know much about hard ciders except that most are derived from fruit at some stage so when the opportunity came up to take a tour of a few Northern California cider producers with a cider expert I took advantage of it.
Sonoma Cider located in downtown Healdsburg was our first stop. I don’t get out to Healdsburg much but among my few visits there was a session where I first learned how to bake from scratch. Coincidentally it had to do with creating a pastry dough and utilizing something well known in this region the Gravenstein apple. Hopefully, I’ll remember to review that adventure in the near future.
Although we arrived a bit late for our scheduled tour we were happily greeted and welcomed by Robert Cordtz, one of the founders of Sonoma Cider and several members of his staff in their tasting room lobby. After a quick introduction we got right into the cider tasting phase as the crew at Sonoma Cider was eager for us to try their product. With each cider poured we learned a little more about what we were drinking and how they differ from one another both on taste and production, and we got to learn about the history of Sonoma Cider and how it all began in late 2013 with Sonoma’s own Gravenstein apple.
Inside the tasting room all of the ciders are iced down and tapped like a fine craft beer. We started out with pours of The Hatchet, their signature apple cider and the Golden Delicious, an exclusive to the store. Equally tasty both samples had a beer-​like subtlety yet with fruity notes. I found the taste very likeable, different for me and refreshing. We also tried The Pitchfork which adds pear juice into the blend, The Anvil which has a home-​brewed bourbon infused into it and their limited edition The Washboard infused with sarsaparilla root from India and vanilla. We were all asked to pick a favorite for which we were poured a generous pint to enjoy while touring the production facility. I chose The Anvil.
They use only organic apples from Washington and of course Sonoma’s own Gravenstein. In order to have fresh apple juice throughout the year their apples are put into cold storage, and processed by a third party who delivers the pressed juice in tanker trucks one day after the order is put in.
After running through various tests for sweetness and acidity the juice is heated, mixed with yeast to start the fermentation process then transferred into gigantic temperature-​controlled tanks for two weeks. During fermentation the sweetness of the juice disappears and is turned into alcohol. We were given little shots so we could taste the product during the different stages of fermentation. The end product is like a dry white wine. The juice then travels by hose into 2000 liter blending tanks where they are married with fresh juices and delightful flavors. Once everything is blended the juice goes directly into the giant Carbo-​Cooler which has liquid glycol and CO2 piped into it. In just a few minutes the cider is cooled and gets its carbonation. We were informed that their Carbo-​Cooler purchased from an old Dr. Pepper plant was recently featured on an episode of Unwrapped which airs on one of the cooking channels.
The finished product goes directly to the bottling process. When running at full speed the automated bottling machine which has 34 filling valves and 8 cappers processes about 250 bottles per minute. After inspection they then travel to the labeling and boxing stages.
One of the fastest growing cider companies in the U.S. less than 2 years into the business the production numbers have jumped from 70,000 cases in 2014 to a projection of 150,000 cases by the end of 2015. Their certified organic cider is available throughout the U.S., in Canada and in China.
This was an amazing tour and seeing how most of the group made purchases after the tour I think they gained several new fans for their product. I’ve included photos to describe my tour better.

Had a fantastic time time tasting and touring with Taylor today. Learned all about what Sonoma Cider does and tasted everything they have to offer and a couple ciders they couldn’t send home with us. We’re planning to visit again next time we’re in the area. If you’re open to something different in wine country, this is a must-​stop. Don’t forget to make an appointment!

This place is great! Cassidy gave us a great tour and knew his stuff. Great cider that I will look for in Chicago — especially the habanero lime!

Got to go check this place out today after being introduced to their cider at the art of beer in Sacramento. Incredible facility and the staff was amazing! Highly recommend checking this place out!

I couldn’t recommend this place more. Their cider is very good. Nice and light and not full of sugar. I will be looking to buy it in the store. In addition to that, the guys there are incredibly knowledgable, super friendly, and fun. Thanks for making our trip great!