We
all know the world of wine is
ever expanding. The average wine
drinker is now exposed to morevarieties, regions and styles than ever before.
Those who choose to push their tasting boundaries
can look beyond the retail shelves flooded with
Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon and instead
enjoy the discovery of a minerally Etna Bianco or a
spicy Austrian Zweigelt.
However, many beverage connoisseurs have yet
to catch on to an under-sung sector of wine: cider.
That’s right, cider is technically a wine.
Six-pack cases and countless kegs of sweet,
apple-y, alcoholic juice have
visually put cider in the same
beverage camp as beer. To
boot, the Alcohol and Tobacco
Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
has segregated the category,
deeming anything made with
apples and under 8.5% alcohol
by volume (abv) cider (or more
commonly, hard cider) and anything above that
limit fruit wine, thereby bringing into question the
beverage’s true alliances.
But the real truth about cider could not be more
clear. Its fermentation path is technically akin to
grape wine production—juice plus yeast equals
alcohol and carbon dioxide—and the whole category
deserves to be treated as such.
Much like grape wine, variety selection is
important in cider. Similar to how table or juice
grapes are not ideal for winemaking, common eating
apples—think Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady—are not the best
options for making the most complex or balanced
cider. High-tannin and/or high-acid fruit is key for
quality production. Most of the varieties are obscure,
rock hard and solely cultivated for use in cider.
While there are examples of single-variety
ciders, many of the best bottlings are made from
a blend of apples that each lend diff erent fl avor
and structural components, the same way a well-
balanced Bordeaux meshes the juicy roundness
of Merlot with the structure and intensity of
Cabernet. It’s quite common for apple varieties to
play a minor role on a cider label, just as Old World
wine labels oft en highlight the
terroir of the region as opposed
to the grapes inside.
The cider category as
a whole is quite diverse,
encompassing everything from
hop- or fruit-infl ected options
made from apple concentrate
to pours that truly express time
and place in the bottle. Though mass-appeal ciders
currently dominate the market, it’s the small-
batch, thoughtful producers that deserve the most
attention. Unfortunately, most consumers barely
know they exist.
Great ciders are already here, and as more and
more people become familiar with the category,
the bar for quality will surely rise across the board.
So the next time you’re in a wine shop, give more
attention to the cider section and be a part of this
burgeoning category.A native of upstate New York,
Tasting Director Alexander
Peartree is a big proponent of
Finger Lakes wines, and hopes more
adventurous drinkers explore what
he believes is also the top cider
region of the country.A MIXED SIX TO TRY
Art + Science 2016 Humble
Cider (Oregon)
Wine and cider are hand in hand
from this producer that dabbles
in both grape and apple wine.Barrika Basque Cider
(S p a i n)
Bright and vibrant—think Txakoli
(from the same region) but made
with apples.Oliver’s Traditional Cider
(England)
A classic Herefordshire cider that
blends rich orchard fruit with a
lot of grip.Redbyrd 2017 Cloudsplitter
(New York)
A traditional method cider made
from biodynamically grown
apples from the Finger Lakes.Tilted Shed 2017 Lost
Orchard (California)
Organically grown fruit from
Sonoma yields an earthy,
tannic cider.Weidmann & Groh
Grohsecco (Germany)
If you’re into Prosecco, check out
this German alternative.CIDER
IS WINE
Give the apple a chance.
Cider’s fermentation path
is technically akin to grape
wine production, and the
whole category deserves
to be treated as such.44 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | OCTOBER 2019
OLEKSIYBOYKO/ALAMY;^PAULARESU