Quickly establishing itself as the next best growing wine region Virginia is also diversifying its beverage offerings by marketing wine, craft beer and cider aggressively. As consumer interest grows in hard cider, November 9 through 17 has been designated Cider Week in Virginia.

According to an article in the September issue of Breathe Magazine, cideries are emerging throughout the Southeast and Virginia is producing many unique and tasteful ciders. In fact, Virginia ranked #4 on the top 10 list for cider case sales in 2011 by Southeast States, with a total of 91,266 cases sold.

International wine expert and keynote speaker, Steven Spurrier, recently offered kudos for Virginia wines with the comment, "Virginia makes the kind of wine I like to drink."

Perhaps one day beer and cider aficionados will be saying the same thing about Virginia cider.