David Volk

USA TODAY Go Escape magazine

I’m not sure what Napa Valley felt like in the days before the world really discovered California wines, but I’m pretty sure it’s close to the vibe that hard-cider lovers are feeling these days in Port Townsend, Wash.

After years of getting puzzled stares whenever they ordered their favorite drink, long-suffering cider drinkers like me have been thrilled to see artisanal cideries opening around the country. An early adopter of the trend is this laid-back Victorian seaport on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the first region to establish its own Cider Route.

Explanations differ on why cider is suddenly so popular. Some say it’s an evolution of the craft-brewing movement; others point to the variety of options available; still more fans appreciate how it doesn’t have gluten as an ingredient.

Me? I just like its light, sweet taste.

I also like the slower pace of this cider tour. Instead of rushing between tasting rooms, the three-stop route in the Port Townsend area gives one time to relax, explore and learn more about one of the country’s fastest-growing drink trends.

“What I love about cider is it’s both new and old,” says Crystie Kisler, co-founder of Finnriver Farm and Cidery (142 Barn Swallow Rd., Chimacum; 360-732-4337).

The operation is part organic farm/part community gathering place. It attracts so much traffic that the tasting room is being moved to a nearby historic dairy farm in May 2016. The community feel is at its height in summer when families come to enjoy live music, pizza and oysters.

Visitors are welcome to bring their own picnics during other times of the year or walk the Soil & Salmon Trail through the farm’s fields and orchards.

Tastings are $5 for five samples, which run from the dry, bitter-sharp Fire Barrel Cider to the sweetness of the Spirited Apple dessert wine, which I loved.

Eaglemount Wine and Cider (1893 S. Jacob Miller Road, Port Townsend; 360-732-4084) is a family-owned cidery that recently moved its tasting room from a small 19th-century homestead to a 12-acre property with space for a bed-and-breakfast and live entertainment.

The ciders here are made from several varieties of heirloom apples, and you really notice their taste in the tangy twang of Rhubarb Cider, the spice of Ginger Cider and the grapefruity/pear flavor of the Quince Cider, all among Eaglemount’s specialties.

Eaglemount cider-maker Trudy Davis says that when the business began, “people didn’t know what (cider) was.” The versatility and variety of flavors has helped win over consumers looking for something different, she says.

Another cidery in the region, Alpenfire Cider (220 Pocket Lane, Port Townsend, Wash.; 360-379-8915), has seen a similar growth in popularity. “The whole interest is driven by the millennial age group. They seem to be looking for something new and different,” says co-owner Steve Bishop.

Although Alpenfire may appeal to a new generation of drinkers, the organic-certified apple orchard and cidery is run by purists who use traditional English, French and heirloom cider apples and nothing else.

Bishop’s past as a wildland firefighter comes through in the names of some of the ciders. Visitors enjoy the award-winning Spark! Semi-Sweet and Glow Rose. My favorites in the open-air tasting room were the rough, bitter-tasting Pirate’s Plank Bone Dry and the thick, dessert-wine sweetness of Smoke.