GLINTCAP (Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition), a bit like the Golden Globes of the cider world, took place between May 15 and 18, 2019, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The entries, which are numerous, are judged using “blind” panels, meaning each entry was identified by a randomly-assigned registration number, and judges are only shown the number, as well as other pertinent info about the entry, like style, level of carbonation, level of sweetness and any special ingredients or processes used in production.
The panel of judges included many cider makers, such as Mattie Beason of Stem Ciders, Seth Boeve of Virtue Cider and Brian Dressler of Dressler Estate. Other leaders from the cider community, such as blogger and frequent Cider Culture contributor Meredith Collins and Marlena Dolegowski from the University of Guelph in Ontario, judged as well.
This year, there were 1,585 entries (1,218 commercial and 367 non-commercial), with a total of 1,331 medals awarded.
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The list of Best in Class awards is very, very long (you can see the whole thing here), but here are some highlights from the commercial entries:
Traditional Cider, Dry
- 1st Place: Nashi Orchards, Idyll Acres Cider (Washington State)
- 2nd Place: Dunkertons Cider, Black Fox (United Kingdom)
- 3rd Place: Spoke + Spy Ciderworks, Kingston Black (Connecticut)
Heritage Cider, Dry
- 1st Place: Black Diamond Farm, Somerset Jersey (New York)
- 2nd Place: Bauman’s Cider Co., Clyde’s Dry (Oregon)
- 3rd Place: Salt Spring Wild Cider, Semi-Dry (British Columbia)
Modern Cider, Dry
- 1st Place: Gowan’s Modern Cider, Macintosh (California)
- 2nd Place: Coffin Ridge Boutique Winery, Forbidden Dry Cider (Ontario)
- 3rd Place: Haykin Family Cider, Akane (Colorado)
Ice Cider
- 1st Place: Ciderie Milton, Le Glacé (Québec)
- 2nd Place: Ciderie du Minot, Crémant du Glace (Québec)
- 3rd Place: Eden Specialty Ciders, Heirloom Blend 2015 (Vermont)
Rosé Cider
- 1st Place: Ciderie Milton, Cid Rosé
- 2nd Place: Champlain Orchards Cidery, Redfield (Vermont)
- 3rd Place: Lost Giants Cider Co., Rosé (Washington)
Specialty Cider and Perry
- 1st Place: Coffin Ridge Boutique Winery, Maple Rosemary Cider
- 2nd Place: Tieton Cider Works, Lavender Honey (Washington State)
- 3rd Place: Salt Spring Wild Cider, Bitter Orange Rosemary
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Wood Aged Cider
- 1st Place: Seattle Cider, Gravenstein Rosé (Washington State)
- 2nd Place: Seattle Cider, Winesap Rosé
- 3rd Place: Upper Left Apples, Oaked Apples
Spiced Cider
- 1st Place: Urban Tree Cidery, Habanero Haze (Georgia)
- 2nd Place: Pux Cider, Whipper Snapper (Michigan)
- 3rd Place: Threadbare Cider, Bouquet de Rosé (Pennsylvania)
Hopped Cider
- 1st Place: Meriwether Cider Co., Hopshot (Idaho)
- 2nd Place: Bee Well Mead & Cider, Spy vs. Citra (Michigan)
- 3rd Place: Twisted Hills Craft Cider, Pacific Gem (British Columbia)
Natural Cider
- 1st Place: Barrika, Basque Country Cider (Spain)
- 2nd Place: Sidra Trabanco, DOP Seleccionanda (Spain)
- 3rd Place: Bee Well Mead & Cider, Over the Hill
Congrats to all of this year’s GLINTCAP medalists!
- Photo: GLINTCAP