Albany’s Nine Pin Ciderworks is raising a glass to conservation with its first-ever Wild Cider Cup: The Conservancy Competition, taking place Sunday, May 18, 2025, from 12-3pm. at its Tasting Room in the Warehouse District. This event celebrates the intersection of local agriculture, land preservation, and cider making by showcasing three limited-edition ciders made from wild and cultivated apples foraged on conserved lands across the Capital and Hudson Valley regions.
To produce the three ciders that will be showcased in the Cup, Nine Pin partnered with three regional organizations—Columbia Land Conservancy, Hudson Taconic Lands (formerly Rensselaer Plateau Alliance), and Saratoga PLAN—to gather apples from their protected properties last fall. Volunteers from each organization helped collect the fruit, which was then turned into one-of-a-kind ciders that reflect the distinctive biodiversity and terroir of each site.
“This partnership captures the true essence of New York cider terroir,” said Alejandro del Peral, Nine Pin’s founder and cidermaker. “Many of the apples used in these ciders were overlooked or forgotten, but they hold deep agricultural and ecological significance. These ciders speak to the landscape.”
At the Wild Cider Cup, guests will enjoy a blind tasting of the three ciders and cast votes for their favorite. The conservation group whose cider earns the most votes will receive a bonus donation from Nine Pin, on top of the portion of proceeds each group is already receiving for their participation.
For the Columbia Land Conservancy, the collaboration is an exciting opportunity to raise awareness of the land’s untapped agricultural richness. “We already know Columbia County has beautiful open spaces and healthy habitats—now we’ll learn how delicious the wild apples are,” said Heidi K. Bock, Vice President of Conservation.
Hudson Taconic Lands, which has been working with Nine Pin for years, echoed the enthusiasm. “We love gathering apples each fall and sampling the cider that results,” said Communications Director Annie Jacobs. “It’s a joyful and meaningful way to support conservation.”
Collaboration is not new for Nine Pin, which distinguishes itself as New York’s first farm cidery and works with a network of producers across the state to produce ciders made with 100 percent New York apples. The hope with this innagural competition is that other local conservancies will want to participate in the future, with the same goals in mind.
At the tasting room, during the event and in normal operating hours, patrons can choose from 10 house ciders on draft, plus a selection of New York State beers. The three conservancy ciders will be available at the tasting room as long as supplies last.
The Wild Cider Cup offers a chance to sip sustainably produced cider that’s as rooted in place as the trees it came from. Tickets are available now through Nine Pin’s Eventbrite page.
