Niagara College winemaker Allison Findlay stands outside the school’s Wine Visitor + Education Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake holding the institute’s latest award-winning ciders. Photo credit: Niagara College
The name ‘Niagara College’ is rapidly becoming synonymous with award-winning beer, wine, and cider.
In another spectacular display of the school’s alcohol-producing prowess, Niagara College took home no less than two medals at this year’s U.S. Open Cider Championship.
The Teaching Winery, which doubles as a cidery, won gold for its Cidre Fermier (farmhouse cider) in the Heritage Cider category, and bronze for the uber-popular Cider 101 in the Modern Cider – Sweet category.
“Winning awards is a testament to the effort, innovation and quality of the Niagara College winemaking program,” said college winemaker Allison Findlay.
“What began as an educational tool, is now a chance to showcase to students and the public what is happening here that will positively impact the entire cider industry.”
The Niagara-on-the-Lake based program has won numerous medals at the U.S. Open Cider Championship. Since it debuted at the college’s Teaching Winery in 2015, Cider 101 – its first cider release – has won four gold medals at the U.S. Open, becoming the first cider in the history of the competition to do so in 2021.
“We’re proud of our Teaching Winery’s continued success – not only as an established leader for wine but for craft cider production,” said Steve Gill, General Manager of the school’s Learning Enterprises. “Above all, these latest international awards are a tremendous win for our students, who gain hands-on experience producing high-quality products that are recognized among the best in the world.”
This year represented the eighth installment of the U.S. Open Cider Championship, which drew more than 290 entries across 25 different cider styles from cideries, wineries, and breweries around North America and Europe.
The first round of judging was held in Buffalo, New York and the final round was held in Oxford, Ohio. The judges were from the Niagara College Teaching Winery, Teaching Brewery and cideries in the Niagara area. Judging was done completely blind, so judges did not know what ciders they were tasting.
Ciderboys Cider Co. from Stevens Point, Wisconsin was named Grand National Champion by winning three gold medals and a bronze. They became the first two-time Grand National Champion in competition history.
For the complete list of winners from the 2022 U.S. Open Cider Championships, visit usopencider.com.
