Cider: Apples and Pears

Cider: Apples and Pears

A puppy is not just for Christmas... and cider is not solely for summer either you know. Susanna Forbes scours the country in search of the most distinctive and exciting artisan ciders and perries that deserve a place on your drinks list all year round

These days, it’s not just noted haunts like Newton Abbot’s Ye Olde Cider Bar or The Southampton Arms in north London that are polishing up their apples and pears. Pub chain JD Wetherspoon held its first national cider festival in 2011, serving up to a dozen ciders in its 800 pubs and bars, while beer mecca The White Horse on Parson’s Green recently quadrupled its ciders on tap.

And it’s not just for the ladies or young whippersnappers either. ‘I’ve served big rugby players the sweetest cider on the bar,’ says Chris Rouse, manager of CAMRA’s Cider & Perry Bars at the Great British Beer Festival. Serving 23,000 pints during its five-day duration, Rouse ran out of almost everything by close of play, despite upping his supplies this year by 10%.

But why all this action? Quite simply, supply and demand. While big players like Bulmers and Gaymers continue to gather in the lion’s share of the nation’s orchard produce, a growing number of farmers are doing their own thing. Add talented newcomers to noted pioneers and you have the critical mass to be able to supply drinkers old and new.

So, alongside the national brands and established stalwarts such as Aspall and Thatchers, which artisan ciders should be gracing your bar? Well it’s a hard choice to make, but here’s my selection...

Six of the best

Dunkertons
Susie and Ivor Dunkerton, the charmingly determined couple behind Dunkertons in Herefordshire, were the first cider producers to gain organic Soil Association status back in the late 1980s, and today they still use the same labour-intensive traditional methods of production. Heritage varieties are fermented separately and stored for a year before blending, adding a rewarding level of complexity and depth to their ciders.

Don’t miss: I can’t choose! While the 7.5% abv Perry is a long-time favourite, with its light fragrance and elegant pear flavours, the 7% abv Black Fox has a good cider apple tang with bittersweet hints, and the 6.8% abv Premium Organic has delightfully rich apple flavours from varieties such as Sheep’s Nose, Brown Snout and Foxwhelp. Its balance and length make food matching easy, from honey-glazed ham to Thai salads. You decide!

Available via a network of wholesalers. Contact the producer for details. dunkertons.co.uk

Gwynt y Ddraig
What started as a hobby 10 years ago for Bill George and his nephew Andrew Gronow soon took over after their ciders scooped a few Best in Festival awards. Now you’ll find their ciders in the Millennium Centre in Cardiff as well as numerous other inns and hostelries. Exports are reaching Australia and the US, and the awards continue to flood in.

Each of their creations sports good cider apple complexity, with a refreshing finish. The entire range – both blends and single varietals – is available in barrels, with a selection in 20-litre and 10-litre formats, plus a 3-litre box for the tasty medium Farmhouse Scrumpy (5.3% abv).

Don’t miss: Black Dragon – fermentation and maturation in oak barrels lends a round, warm depth to the tangy cider apple tannins of this multi-award winner.
6.5% abv.

Available from a range of wholesalers, including Beers of Europe. Contact the producer for details. gwyntcider.com

Oliver’s
‘If you want to retire early with a large pension, you won’t go into cider and perry,’ says the genial Tom Oliver. Luckily for us, Oliver, who balances tour managing duties for the likes of The Proclaimers with his orchard husbandry, wasn’t one for an easy life.

Recognised globally for his work rescuing the perry tree from obscurity, no-one knows more about traditional varieties than Oliver. His distinctive range, made in Herefordshire, comes in a variety of formats. From 50cl bottles, via easily sharable, sparkling 75cl bottle-conditioned dry and medium ciders and perries, through to good-looking 20-litre bag-in-box draught ciders and perries, quaffability coexists alongside individuality.

Don’t miss: Shezam – coppery gold in colour, this cider is fresh, ripe and appley with dryness and balanced tannins kicking in on the finish. Served up at the Hawksmoor restaurants and at Eddie and Sam Hart’s restaurants, it’s great on its own, or try it with simple dishes or lightly-sauced fish.

£18/12x50cl; minimum order six cases. hoppocketwine.co.uk; theolivers.org.uk

Once Upon a Tree
With Simon Day’s Tumpy Ground cider now available in 20-litre bag-in-box, the Once Upon a Tree range of ciders, perries and apple juices has something for every type of bar and restaurant. Produced at the evocatively named Dragon Orchard in the unbeatable Much Marcle area of Herefordshire, it’s Day’s ability to combine modern winemaking methods with traditional cider-making techniques that sets him apart. But then, his father was Tom Day, a pivotal figure in the development of nearby Three Choirs Vineyard.

As well as good everyday fare, look out for his perries (my favourite is the medium Priggles Perry), his single apple ciders (Kingston Redstreak for me) and his 75cl sparkling bottle-fermented cider and perry. Finally, there are the delicious dessert bottlings, Blenheim Superb Dessert Cider and The Wonder Dessert Pear Wine – worthy additions to any sweet wine list.

Don’t miss: Tumpy Ground – named, as are all of Day’s ciders, after a local landmark, and made from a blend of traditional cider favourites, this has plenty of soft apple tannins and a
dash of sweetness on the finish.

7% abv. £30.40/20l bag-in-box. onceuponatree.co.uk; jugandbottle.co.uk

Polgoon
What started as a sideline, while Kim and John Coulson’s medal-grabbing vineyard was hijacked by the weather, has more than come into its own in the Cornish outpost of Penzance. Local dessert apples are used and the ciders retain a nice dryness.

With listings at Fortnum & Mason, The Gilbert Scott and throughout Jamie Oliver’s empire, Polgoon’s original Aval – Cornish for cider – has been joined by Aval Raspberry (including a splash of raspberry juice) and Peren (peren being Cornish for pear), plus most recently a trio of 33cl Cornish ciders.

Don’t miss: Aval – golden in colour with a wonderfully complex nose, this bottle-fermented cider is the ideal celebratory sparkle. Delicately orchard-like, the finish is moreish. Perfect with mackerel, try also with strong cheeses such as Blacksticks Blue or Yarg.

7%; £148.80/12x75cl. polgoon.co.uk

Sandford Orchards
‘My reason is that I’m an orchard fanatic,’ says Barney Butterfield of his decision to include plenty of lower-yielding traditional trees on his Sandford Farm in Devon. Passionate about the environment, in less than a decade, Butterfield’s instinctive approach has won him many accolades, including CAMRA’s Champion Cider of 2010 for his Devon Scrumpy.

His seven-strong range is available in bag-in-box as well as bottles, keg and polypin, and he also produces a range of other mixers, much of it from other soft fruit grown on his farm.

The 4.5% abv snappy Devon Red is light with a clean finish, high on quaffability and great with pork and apple sauce or salty snacks, while Fanny’s Bramble tastes just like you want a fruit cider to: just that, cider with a splash of blackberries.

Don’t miss: Shaky Bridge – there’s an intense cider apple nose on this medium dry cider, with layers and layers of apple flavour, a touch of caramel and a long finish.

6% abv. £26/12x50cl. sandfordorchards.co.uk

Tips from those in the know

Black Dragon, Gwynt y Ddraig: ‘I like the fruity taste. It’s medium in sweetness and goes well with pork pies.’ Peter Holt, owner, The Southampton Arms, London

Gospel Green Sussex Cyder: ‘Appearing in an elegant 75cl green bottle, as soon as staff tasted this artisan Sussex cider, they were converted and began pouring.’ Will Eddy, drinks manager, Due South, Brighton

Hecks Medium Perry: ‘Medium-dry, this has the best texture, and it tastes like liquidised pears. We serve it with our Ploughman’s and Sunny Platter – brie, hoummos and pâté.’ Stewart Campbell, co-owner, Hop & Vine, Hull, CAMRA Joint National Cider Pub of the Year 2010

Hogan’s Cider (keg): ‘Dry and moreish, this has a really good initial flavour but the length goes on for hours.’ Alex Wood, assistant manager, The White Horse on Parson’s Green, London

Rekorderlig Cider: ‘The strawberry/lime version of Rekorderlig targets the female market, and we serve it with fresh mint over loads of ice.’ Carl Bradwell,
manager, Alphabet, London

Sourcing & serving good cider

‘The best way to taste is to go to the trade session of a larger beer festival,’ advises CAMRA’s Chris Rouse. For a smaller snapshot, look up CAMRA’s regional Cider Pubs of the Year, try places like The Southampton Arms in north London or The Hop Pocket just outside Hereford, and make tracks for the Trade Session at CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival.

Head to the Three Counties (Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire), what writer James Russell calls ‘the ancestral home of upmarket cider and perry’, and check out its well-organised cider trails and fantastic Big Apple festivals.

If you are choosing a few ciders, pick by style (sweet, medium and dry) rather than on county, advises The Southampton Arms’ Peter Holt – and add in a perry.

If it’s in bottle, have it on display. ‘A lot of people drink with their eyes,’ says Carl Bradwell, manager of Alphabet bar in central London’s Soho. He recently listed Rekorderlig (below) because its design accorded with his bar’s graphic style.

Finally, like real ale these days, there’s a variety of containers for your precious liquid, including handy 20-litre cardboard bag-in-boxes that use a simple vacuum to keep the liquid fresh. Producers can provide Vitop connectors to enable the cider box to be linked to existing hand-pull systems in minutes.

Editorial feature from Imbibe Magazine – November/December 2011