ABOUT CIDER
Cider, according to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, is a “fruit wine prepared from the juice or must of apples and no more than 25% of the juice or must of pears.” Water should only be added in exceptionally hot years when sugar levels in apples translate to high alcohol levels in cider. Edgebrook Cider is made from 100% apple juice from freshly-crushed apples.
Cider is ‘made’ from juice that is fermented like wine rather than being ‘brewed’ from ingredients mixed in water like beer. It should not taste like apple juice but it should retain some fruit characteristics.
Unlike grape wine, cider made from single varieties of apples is very rarely of a high quality. Good cider balances residual sweetness with acidity and tannin, and strives to achieve body and robust flavour. Few apple cultivars have all these qualities so most good cider is made from a blend of apple varieties. Notable exceptions are ciders made from a select few ‘vintage’ cider apple cultivars such as Kingston Black, Yarlington Mill, Dabinett and Red Streak but even these ciders often fall short of being excellent on their own.
In Europe, ciders are classified by style, rather than variety, and reflect local cider-making traditions. The following is a rough guide of some of the more common styles:
English Eastern counties: The eastern counties of Kent, Suffolk and Sussex produce much of Britain’s eating apples. Cider made from dessert fruit is light with higher acid levels and little tannin. Most New Zealand cider is made in this style. German apfelwein from the Frankfurt region is similar. Some Eastern counties producers use the spelling ‘cyder’ to differentiate their product. Edgebrook Festive Cider is made in this style.
English Western counties: The Western counties style centres around the three counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Cider made in this style is mostly from cider apples and is a balanced blend of sweet, sharp and tannic. Edgebrook Village Cider is made in this style.
English West Country: Westcountry cider is made from old, locally-bred cider apple varieties and is characterised by being dry, richly tannic and low in acid. ‘Scrumpy’ is a Westcountry word referring to cider made from ‘scrumps’ – old, slightly withered apples gathered at the end of Autumn. They are high in sugars, which is why high-alcohol scrumpy has the reputation it does! Fermentation of high-tannin bitter-sweets and bitter-sharps may produce so-called barnyard characteristics such as smoky bacon, gun metal, spice and horse blanket. Done carefully, these ‘funky’ flavours add to the complexity of Westcountry cider; done poorly, they are considered a fault. Edgebrook Orchard Cider is made in the Westcountry style.
French: The two famous cider-producing regions in France are Normandy and Brittany. Ciders may be made from local cider apple cultivars or may include dessert apples. The style is similar to the English Western counties but, whereas the English style is usually to ferment to dryness and back-sweeten, the French style uses keeving to remove nutrients and finish the cider naturally sweet, the degree of sweetness falling into a number of defined categories such as cidre doux, cidre demi-sec or cidre brut. As a result of the process, French cidres are often lower in alcohol. Cidre bouché is bottle-conditioned cider and is sold in champagne bottles. This process differs from the English tradition of still cider or, more recently, force-carbonated cider. That said, ‘bubbly’ cider originated in England’s Forest of Dean and predates champagne by fifty years!
Spanish: The Northern Spanish regions of Asturias and Basque are the main producers of sidra. The traditional method is to make a still, slightly volatile (vinegary) cider. It is poured from above the head to a low-held glass, which gives it a champagne-like mouthfeel for a short time. In other cider styles, volatile flavours are considered a fault.
Cider is ‘made’ from juice that is fermented like wine rather than being ‘brewed’ from ingredients mixed in water like beer. It should not taste like apple juice but it should retain some fruit characteristics.
Unlike grape wine, cider made from single varieties of apples is very rarely of a high quality. Good cider balances residual sweetness with acidity and tannin, and strives to achieve body and robust flavour. Few apple cultivars have all these qualities so most good cider is made from a blend of apple varieties. Notable exceptions are ciders made from a select few ‘vintage’ cider apple cultivars such as Kingston Black, Yarlington Mill, Dabinett and Red Streak but even these ciders often fall short of being excellent on their own.
In Europe, ciders are classified by style, rather than variety, and reflect local cider-making traditions. The following is a rough guide of some of the more common styles:
English Eastern counties: The eastern counties of Kent, Suffolk and Sussex produce much of Britain’s eating apples. Cider made from dessert fruit is light with higher acid levels and little tannin. Most New Zealand cider is made in this style. German apfelwein from the Frankfurt region is similar. Some Eastern counties producers use the spelling ‘cyder’ to differentiate their product. Edgebrook Festive Cider is made in this style.
English Western counties: The Western counties style centres around the three counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Cider made in this style is mostly from cider apples and is a balanced blend of sweet, sharp and tannic. Edgebrook Village Cider is made in this style.
English West Country: Westcountry cider is made from old, locally-bred cider apple varieties and is characterised by being dry, richly tannic and low in acid. ‘Scrumpy’ is a Westcountry word referring to cider made from ‘scrumps’ – old, slightly withered apples gathered at the end of Autumn. They are high in sugars, which is why high-alcohol scrumpy has the reputation it does! Fermentation of high-tannin bitter-sweets and bitter-sharps may produce so-called barnyard characteristics such as smoky bacon, gun metal, spice and horse blanket. Done carefully, these ‘funky’ flavours add to the complexity of Westcountry cider; done poorly, they are considered a fault. Edgebrook Orchard Cider is made in the Westcountry style.
French: The two famous cider-producing regions in France are Normandy and Brittany. Ciders may be made from local cider apple cultivars or may include dessert apples. The style is similar to the English Western counties but, whereas the English style is usually to ferment to dryness and back-sweeten, the French style uses keeving to remove nutrients and finish the cider naturally sweet, the degree of sweetness falling into a number of defined categories such as cidre doux, cidre demi-sec or cidre brut. As a result of the process, French cidres are often lower in alcohol. Cidre bouché is bottle-conditioned cider and is sold in champagne bottles. This process differs from the English tradition of still cider or, more recently, force-carbonated cider. That said, ‘bubbly’ cider originated in England’s Forest of Dean and predates champagne by fifty years!
Spanish: The Northern Spanish regions of Asturias and Basque are the main producers of sidra. The traditional method is to make a still, slightly volatile (vinegary) cider. It is poured from above the head to a low-held glass, which gives it a champagne-like mouthfeel for a short time. In other cider styles, volatile flavours are considered a fault.