Tilted Shed Ciderworks

Tilted Shed Ciderworks is a small, family-run, farm-based cider producer founded in 2011. Famous for its world-class wines, Sonoma County also has a rich apple heritage. We are at the forefront of transforming the Sonoma County apple culture by handcrafting traditionally fermented ciders from only the best local fruit.

Our mission is to elevate the apple to greatness by making world-class ciders that are revelatory and sublime, with a distinct sense of place and point of view. At our Sebastopol farm, we are conducting trials of approximately 100 traditional cider apple and perry pear varieties, some of which are so rare we are likely the only ones growing them in Sonoma County. The tannic cider varieties were selected throughout the centuries, primarily in the UK and France, specifically for cider production. They are our version of Vitis vinifera, providing the nuance, structure, and elegance that common eating apples cannot.

We harvest, hand-sort, wash, grind, and press up to 24 heirloom and traditional cider apple varieties in season, and then send the juice onto a cool, slow fermentation in small batches for up to four months before blending, aging, and bottling. All of our apples are grown in Sonoma County, and most are certified organic. We don’t rush the process or cheat: no imported apples, bulk juice, concentrate, colorings, flavorings, or fast fermentations. Just apples, yeast, and time. We do not filter or fine, and are moving toward an even less-interventionist approach. The results are food-friendly, savory, vinous ciders of unexpected complexity, elegant structure, gorgeous aromatics, and long finish.

And yes, there really is a tilted shed on our farm. It’s probably a hundred years old and so decrepit it’s a wonder it’s still standing. But we consider that a good sign. If it can beat the odds, then so can a cidery smack-dab in the middle of wine country!