In a few short months members of the United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM) will convene in Portland on February 2 – 5 for CiderCON 2016, the annual meeting and conference for the nation’s cider industry.
Conference sessions will focus on production, distribution, marketing and research, apple growing and sensory analysis. Over 800 attendees will represent the most widely recognized cider brands, as well as smaller cider makers, enthusiasts and growers. The newly expanded Trade Show will feature exhibits from a wide variety of cider industry support companies.
Attendees will also have the option of signing up for one of three different bus tours on Tuesday, February 2nd. Locations include Hood River, Willamette Valley and Portland. A complete schedule of events may be found at www.ciderconference.com/schedule. Registration is open now.
New for 2016 is the Advanced Cider Orchard Production Workshop. This in-depth session is designed for commercial apple producers who are interested in growing cider apples for fermentation. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, February 3rd and is open to the public, with advanced registration. Cost is $65 per person.
On Saturday, February 6th, the USACM presents The Cider Certification Program. This first ever cider accreditation program is designed for distributors, servers and others who are interested in becoming trained experts on all things cider. The Level One course will explore the history of cider, cider making, cider styles, pairings and how to serve cider. Other levels will look at sensory evaluation, keeping and serving cider, orchard basics, federal definitions of cider and more. Pre-registration is required. More information can be found at www.ciderassociation.org.
