Want Some Stink With Your Cider?

Cider week is upon us! Having just returned from the Basque region of Spain, I'm newly educated in the intricacies of cider making (and drinking!) and have a whole new appreciation for this beverage. It's more than Martinellis y'all!

Our friends at Stinky Bklyn--in Chelsea--and Back Label Wine Merchants (107 W 20th Street) are celebrating in the best way possible...with a stinky cheese pairing class! On Saturday 11/1 from 4-5pm you can join them to taste a selection of handpicked ciders and cheeses for only $40. The best part is that you get a $20 voucher for anything in the store at the conclusion of your class.

If you want to sip your cider in Brooklyn, the flagship store (215 Smith Street) will be hosting several FREE classes for the duration of the week:

• Victory Brewing Co. Tasting, Thursday, October 23 @ 6-8 pm: Draft and bottle tastings from Pennsylvania's famed Victory Brewing Company. Beers featured will include Wild Devil, a Brett-fermented IPA, and Storm King, a bittersweet Imperial Stout. They'll also be offering 20% off growler fills!

• Wolffer Estate Cider Tasting, Saturday, October 25 @2-4 pm: Hailing from the Hamptons, Wolffer Vineyard and Cidery will be in-store with samples of their Dry Rose and Dry White ciders. Borrowing fermentation techniques from their wine production, their ciders are crisp and refreshing, and are great in lieu of wine for your dinner or cheese board.

• Cider Mimosas, Sunday, October 26 @ 1-3 pm: Say what?? Cider Mimosas? That's right, they're mixing up fresh, tart cider from Champlain Orchards in Vermont with NY's own Critz Farms Rippleton Original Sparkling Hard Cider. It'll become your new Fall brunch libation of choice.

• Virtue Cider & Crown Finish Caves Cheese Tasting, Saturday, November 1 @ 1-3 pm: They'll be pairing a variety of Virtue ciders with cheese from Crown Finish Caves in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. One featured cheese will be the Humble Herdsman, washed in Virtue's Red Streak. Our beer buyer Aiyana Knauer both suggested and ordered the Red Streak for washing to Benton of Crown Finish Caves, so this tasting will bring all elements of the cheese (and cider) full circle!

• Guerrilla Hot Sauce Tasting, Saturday, November 1 @ 3-6 pm: Go sample fresh, local hot sauce made by Stinky Bklyn's own cheesemonger Brendon Doyle!

For more NYC Cider Week events, please click here. Happy sipping!