Snow Capped Cider Wins Big at 2025 Cidercraft Awards

Snow Capped Cider, led by owner and head cidermaker Kari Williams, has once again raised the bar at the 8th Annual Cidercraft Awards. With an impressive haul of 28 medals, five Platinum, six Double Gold, six Gold, five Silver, and six Judges’ Picks, the Colorado cidery has earned the distinction of being the most awarded cidery at the competition for the third consecutive year.

“I couldn’t be more proud about the incredible year we are having!” said Owner and Head Cidermaker Kari Williams. “We make cider to express the story of our historic orchards and Colorado, and this incredible recognition over the last few years tells us we’re doing something right. I am so thankful for my team for making this year one for the books and we are honored to represent the cider industry.” 

Cidercraft’s expert panel of judges blind-tasted entries from across the US and Canada, evaluating each cider over the course of several days. Unlike many competitions that award multiple golds, silvers, and bronzes per category, Cidercraft honors just one winner in each, making recognition especially meaningful. The competition honors innovation, balance, and flavor, and Snow Capped Cider’s award-winning portfolio showcased excellence across nearly every category. This year’s standout Platinum winners include Kingston Black, Gravenstein, Bluebird Day, and White Wine Perry. Gravenstein was awarded Platinum in both the Single Varietal and Modern Sweet categories, following a recent Best in Class honor at the 2025 and 2024 GLINTCAP Awards.

This achievement adds to a growing list of accolades for Snow Capped Cider. The cidery recently made history at the 2025 GLINTCAP Awards, where it was named Midsize Cidermaker of the Year for the second year in a row and set a new competition record with 10 Best in Class awards.

Grown at elevations between 6,130 and 7,000 feet in Colorado’s Surface Creek Valley, Snow Capped Cider’s orchards are among the highest in the world. This unique high-altitude terroir – featuring UV exposure 30% higher than sea level, dramatic temperature swings, and a shorter growing season – produces intensely expressive fruit with elevated sugar, tannin, and acid levels. Fed by pure snowmelt from the Grand Mesa and delivered through gravity-powered irrigation, the fruit develops bold, concentrated flavors that set Snow Capped Cider’s award-winning, one-of-a-kind ciders apart.

Snow Capped Cider’s 2025 Cidercraft Awards: 

1. Kingston Black - Platinum High Tannin Dry
2. Gravenstein - Platinum Single Varietal
3. Bluebird Day - Platinum Modern-Dry
4. Gravenstein - Platinum Modern Sweet
5. White Wine Perry - Platinum Co-Ferments: Fruit/Stone Fruit
6. Chisel Jersey - Double Gold High Tannin Sweet
7. Esopus Spitzenburg - Double Gold Single Varietal
8. Winter Pear - Double Gold Perry
9. Bespoke - Double Gold Rosé
10. Golden Russet - Double Gold Modern Sweet
11. Porters & Perry - Double Gold Co-Ferments: Fruit/Stone Fruit
12. Yarlington Mill - Gold High Tannin Dry
13. Gold Rush - Gold High Tannin Sweet
14. Sparkling Perry - Gold Perry
15. The Russets - Gold Modern Sweet
16. Sparkling Rosé - Gold Fruit
17. Sour Cherry - Gold Stone Fruit
18. Wilde Woods - Silver High Tannin Dry
19. Harrison - Silver Single Varietal
20. Novel - Silver Modern-Dry
21. Winesap - Silver Modern Sweet
22. Plum & Lemongrass - Silver Botanical
23. Fab Five - Judges’ Pick High Tannin Dry
24. Ellis Bitter - Judges’ Pick High Tannin Sweet
25. Frenouillet Gris - Judges’ Pick Single Varietal
26. Akane - Judges’ Pick Modern Sweet
27. Esopus Spitzenburg - Judges’ Pick Modern Sweet
28. BBI Aged Kingston Black - Judges’ Pick Wood-Aged

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About Snow Capped Cider
Snow Capped Cider’s renowned portfolio begins with high-quality, cider-specific fruit grown in the high elevations of Western Colorado. Inspired by traditional English and French orchard practices, the cidery’s approach centers on purity, relying solely on the natural strength of the fruit without added sugars or artificial ingredients. The result is a lineup of ciders that are clean, balanced, and deeply expressive of their origin.

Led by owner and head cidermaker Kari Williams, Snow Capped Cider has become a standout in the American cider industry. The cidery has earned national recognition at the most respected competitions in the field, including back-to-back honors as Midsize Cidermaker of the Year at the GLINTCAP Awards and a record number of Best in Class titles. At the Cidercraft Awards, Snow Capped has continued its dominance, earning the highest number of medals for three consecutive years. 

This success is built on over a century of agricultural experience. The family has been a leader in Colorado’s fruit-growing history, cultivating more than 150 apple varieties and 40 peach varieties, including many rare heritage and cider-specific cultivars. As the first orchardists in Colorado to implement trellis growing systems and adopt technologies such as micro-sprinkler irrigation, propane heating, and wind machines, the family has continually driven innovation in high-elevation farming.

Nestled in the Surface Creek Valley on Colorado’s Western Slope, Snow Capped Cider’s orchards grow at elevations ranging from 6,130 to 7,000 feet. These conditions, combined with intense sunlight, wide daily temperature fluctuations, and extended growing seasons, produce fruit with remarkable flavor concentration and complexity. This unique mountain environment results in ciders with clarity, depth, and balance that reflect the land from which they come.

Snow Capped Cider’s orchard-based, Colorado-grown ciders represent over a century of fruit-growing passion and precision. With every harvest and every pour, they carry forward a family legacy built on quality, sustainability, and award-winning craftsmanship. Read more history here.