Colorado Cidery Sweeps Major Competitions With Record 14 Best in Show Wins

Snow Capped Cider has secured the top prize at the two largest cider competitions in the country, earning 14 Best in Show awards at the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP) and 24 medals at the 9th Annual Cidercraft Awards. The wins mark a clean sweep of industry recognition for the Colorado-based cidery, which operates under owner and head cidermaker Kari Williams.

At GLINTCAP's 20th anniversary, held on the competition's most prestigious tier, Snow Capped Cider was named Midsize Producer of the Year for the third consecutive year. The 14 Best in Show wins represent a new record for the cidery, breaking its own benchmark from 2025. GLINTCAP drew more than 1,400 international entries from the United States, Spain, Japan, Canada, and beyond, with judging conducted blind by certified experts. The Midsize Producer of the Year award is the competition's highest category honor, recognizing consistent excellence across all categories.

The cidery's portfolio earned 8 Gold medals and 41 Silver medals across more than 20 GLINTCAP categories, according to competition results. At Cidercraft, Snow Capped placed more medals than any other cidery for the fourth consecutive year, with Platinum recognition in six categories: Kingston Black Reserve (Single Varietal), Ellis Bitter (High Tannin Sweet), Mountain Rose (Rosé), Porters & Perry (Co-Ferments: Fruit/Stone Fruit), Platinum Elevation (Modern-Dry), and The Russets (Modern-Sweet).

Snow Capped Cider's orchards occupy Colorado's Surface Creek Valley at the base of Grand Mesa at 6,130 feet elevation, positioning them among the world's highest-elevation cider orchards. The location provides approximately 30% higher UV exposure than sea level, with sharp temperature swings between daytime heat and cool mountain nights that slow ripening and concentrate flavor in fruit. The operation cultivates more than 150 apple varieties and 40 peach varieties, including heritage cultivars such as Kingston Black and Yarlington Mill. The land has remained in Kari Williams's family for over a century.

"To earn GLINTCAP's Midsize Producer of the Year for the third year in a row is something our team doesn't take for granted," Williams said. "Setting a new Best in Show record, and then breaking it again the following year, tells us we're continuing to push in the right direction. There's nothing quite like the fruit we are growing at this elevation."

The repeat performance positions Snow Capped Cider as the most awarded producer in the American cider industry by major competition metrics. Expansion of high-elevation cider production in Colorado signals a possible shift in domestic craft cider geography, with terroir-driven production from Western Slope operations increasingly challenging traditional cider regions.