International trendsetting author and food critic Anita Lau, of Mad Hungry Woman.

"This sustainable family farm has been around for six generations and possesses 83 kinds of heirloom apples. We tasted several of the ciders including Macintosh, fresh, tart cider with lemon and pineapple hints; Gravenstein leans towards floral with apricot, orange and natural wood notes; and 1876 Heirloom, which comes across strong with crisp ripe apple and notes of stone fruit and caramel. These ciders are great paired with food, or on their own."  Read more of  Anita's Winter Fancy Food Show discoveries here.

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Tamara Palmer Bay Area food and lifestyle expert scoured the 80,000 specialty foods to find Top 20 at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco 2020

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"The crown jewel of the Gowan’s heirloom cider collection is the Sierra Beauty, a type of apple that originated on the company’s Anderson Valley farm."

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CIDERCRAFT Magazine "Thanksgiving Success" Serve Gowan's Heirloom Cider Sierra Beauty

"This single-variety sipper showcases an apple that was thought to be extinct, save for a few trees on Gowan’s estate family orchard in California’s Anderson Valley. A unique bottling, the still, wine-like Sierra Beauty is highly acclaimed, with accolades from competitions all over the country as well as this publication. Serve this full-bodied cider alongside a cheese plate where the apple aromatics and orange-fruited, juicy-acid flavor profile will pop. The cider’s savory qualities would also make it as a contender to pair with a salad or green beans."

SPARKSocialSF sell-out cider fest attracted massive crowds for the Fall Cider Fest, featuring Gowan's pre-event:

"It wouldn't be The San Francisco Fall Cider Fest without the legendary @gowanscider 🍎⁠ .The Gowan family has been growing apples in Anderson Valley for six generations - almost 150 years! We're so excited for you to try these estate-grown, farm-to-table gems."

Gowan's Heirloom Cidery has been quietly growing apples for 143 years in Philo California. That's 6 generations and a whole lot of apple trees. Amy Glynn writes for Paste Magazine about her favorite ciders, and the cider houses where they hail from.

The results are in! We asked attendees from our recent Future of Food 2.0 event to tell us their favorite plant-based food and drink sampled throughout the evening.

This summer sf.citi teamed up with Facebook and WeWork to host The Future of Food 2.0: Plant-Based Investing. Along with hearing from leaders in the plant-based food tech space, guests tasted plant-based products from more than 20 food and drink vendors. In a post-event survey, attendees shared their top picks. The food favorite of the night was…drumroll…Eclipse Foods’ incredibly creamy, dairy-free soft serve. As for plant-based drinks, guests loved Gowan’s Heirloom Cider. Huge thanks to all of our vendors who made the night as delicious as it was informative!

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@sf.citi empowers San Francisco’s tech community to have a voice in tech policy decisions & collaborate with government on solving local issues. Congrats to

@eclipse_foods

&

@gowanscider

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Two of Gowan's Heirloom Ciders were named BEST in their respective classes in the largest cider competition in the world. 

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Tasting Notes:

Awarded Best in Class/Gold in the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition 2019

Gowan's Gravenstein Heirloom Cider: By its freshness, spiciness and balance of sweet and tart, Gowan's Gravenstein Cider provides a persuasive argument for growers to maybe pull out some vineyards and replace them with orchards. —Head Judge Mike Dunne

@iwinereview

GOWAN'S HEIRLOOM CELLARS Amazing, prize-winning ciders from heirloom varieties grown at the Gowan orchard in Anderson Valley. From the 2016 and 2017 vintages. Thanks to Sharon Gowan for a bountiful lunch under the blossoming apple trees located across the river from their stand of old redwood trees. No visit to Gowan is complete without a ride with the cellar's driving dog. Gowan's Cider Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association 

"A supremely balanced cider crafted with rich family history. Pouring a straw-colored yellow, the nose blossoms with ripe apple aromas. Slightly-sweet on the palate ending with a crisp finish."

This year marks the 140th anniversary of the Gowan family business: an apple orchard featuring rare California native apples in the tiny town of Philo, California, where the population hovers around 350. Through droughts, wars, economic depressions, a rush for gold, and fast-evolving technology, it seems Northern California has always had an appetite for apples. For fourteen decades and counting, the Gowan family has worked hard to keep their land and fruit healthy so they could keep up with the pace of the changing times — and they've managed to do just that.

The California Cider Competition features farm to table ciders made from California orchards. 

Best of Show: 1876 Heirloom Cider made by Gowan’s Heirloom Cider in Philo, CA, Mendocino County. Petillant. Medium. 5.7% avb. California Estate Grown. 

Reserve (Second Best of Show): Gravenstein Heirloom Cider made by Gowan’s Heirloom Cider in Philo, CA, Mendocino County. Made with Gravenstein apples from Gowan Orchards. Petillant. Medium. 6.1% avb. California Estate Grown.

There’s no fast route to high quality. Serious cider is all apple juice, and serious California cider is made with apples grown in California, where we have a rich tradition of premium fresh foods and beverages. 

On the strength of Millennials seeking local fare, authentic experiences and connections to the farms that grow their food, hard cider has catapulted from obscurity into a $500 million market. 

More than 70 ciders were entered in the 2015 Cider Competitions, more than four times the number entered last year.

More than 70 ciders were entered in the 2015 Cider Competitions, more than four times the number entered last year.

Another indigenous California variety that deserves to be more widely known and grown is the Sierra Beauty, an outstanding apple that comes with an interesting story.