Cidermaking at Finnriver

All of our ciders are made with organic and wild-foraged fruit and botanicals. 

At Finnriver, we gather and ferment the flavors of the land to offer you farmcrafted hard ciders and spirited fruit wines. Inspired by the beauty of fruit and the history of fermentation, we work to revive and expand the traditions of cidermaking without compromising sourcing.

Our process begins in Pacific Northwest orchards and fields, where spring blossoms and pollinating bees signal the start of the season. By autumn, we harvest and press organic apples, ferment the juice, and refine our ciders using both traditional and modern methods.

We grow over two dozen heirloom and traditional apple varieties in our organic orchard and also source organic Washington dessert apples for our contemporary ciders. Our Farmstead cider features wild and homestead apples from our neighbors for our community-harvest.

Cidermaking in our barn is a process of discovery — a combination of chemistry, ecology, alchemy, engineering, wishful thinking, farm ingenuity and adventurous experimentation. Some of these ciders are small-batch, seasonal and labor-intensive. Others are produced with contemporary methods and more readily available year-round. Our sumptuous fruit wines are fortified with custom-distilled apple brandy to capture the sweet warmth and generosity of the fruit.

Cidermaker Chris Weir (shown here), brings a deep respect for tradition, a passion for innovation, and an unwavering commitment to quality, After honing his craft in winemaking, brewing, and cidermaking across the West Coast, Chris returned to Finnriver in 2021, where he now balances tradition with innovation. Inspired by the aging traditions of scotch, bourbon, and Japanese whiskey, Chris enjoys exploring barrel aging, wild fermentations, and creative blends to craft ciders that tell a story of place. He especially loves crafting unique, small-batch fermentations for the Finnriver Cider Club—offering members a taste of his latest inspirations.

Finnriver offers a 100% satisfaction guaranteed on our bottles so if you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason, please let us know and we will replace it or refund you! We want you to thoroughly enjoy your Finnriver experience.

We are members of the Northwest Cider Association, working to educate the public about ciders and to celebrate the cider community in the PNW.