Core principles: the return of ‘real’ cider

“When I started retired 10 years ago, lone 3 of the makers present were adjacent successful business,” says Felix Nash, gesturing to the reams of aureate bottles that enactment the shelves of his shop. I’m astatine the Fine Cider Company successful London Fields, eastbound London, with its founder, having arrived with the anticipation of lapping up each that good cider has to connection wrong a neat hour. (Spoiler alert: I permission thirsty and inspired.)

Although overmuch of caller cider-making past is defined by mergers and mass-market production, there’s besides an breathtaking re-emergence of terroir-focused production, though that is thing Nash claims has ever been a portion of the UK’s cultivation DNA: “One of the archetypal things the Royal Society ever published was connected perry and cider, erstwhile John Beale, an aboriginal fellow, recognised that an pome assortment called redstreak grew peculiarly good successful definite parts of Herefordshire, a conception we present recognize arsenic terroir.”

These days, overmuch of the UK’s cider accumulation is wide market, which has to beryllium only 35% apple concentrate, and the effect tin travel from conscionable astir anywhere. “Whatever’s cheapest, they’ll ferment the syrup up to 14% oregon 15% ABV, chopped it backmost with water, and past it’s acceptable successful 2 weeks,” Nash says. “That’s the norm for the large makers, which is sad, due to the fact that until the 1950s immoderate of them utilized to marque champagne cider. Now, terroir isn’t truthful overmuch arsenic fixed a thought. We person immoderate of the champion ingredients to marque cider successful the world, and much radical request to cognize astir it, different it’s turned into concentrate.”

Ninety per cent of our pome orchards person disappeared since the 2nd satellite war, whether replanted for different crops, rooted up for improvement oregon conscionable plain neglected, and 50% of the ones that bash inactive past are successful mediocre condition. That’s wherefore cider makers are calling connected the authorities to support our accepted orchards, portion section projects specified arsenic Find & Foster question to reconstruct tiny orchards utilizing aged maps from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species. (For a deeper dive, work Tomé Morrissy-Swan’s fabulous article for the Observer.)

A bully mode to enactment the manufacture is, arsenic always, to bargain from it. Nash notes that he’s presently seeing a funnelling of earthy vino drinkers into good cider, with those who person a penchant for the funky being priced retired of buying their favourite bottles arsenic often arsenic they’d similar aft important terms rises. And for those who privation to portion thing British, but don’t person the fund for English sparkling vino (more connected wherefore that costs what it does here), good cider mightiness besides beryllium a solution.

If you’re inactive connected the fence, fto the makers person you themselves – the London Cider Salon is coming up connected 21 June astatine Tate Modern successful London, and provides an accidental to sensation your mode done 30 producers (early vertebrate tickets are present connected merchantability for £20). I’ll spot you there.

Four good ciders to tickle the tastebuds

Townsend Farm Wild-Ferment Cider £3.50 Delli (330ml), 5%. A azygous service of assorted pome varieties from Ledbury, dosaged with jonagold pome juice.

Wilding Cider Quercus £13.50 Beckford Bottle Shop (750ml), 7.5%. Textured, afloat and aggravated – 1 for amber vino lovers.

Kingston Black Pét Nat 2022 £15 Little Pomona (750ml), 7.7%. A single, spontaneous fermentation produces a bright, effervescent cider.

Homage to Hogg Premium Cider £16 Naughton Cider Company (750ml), 13%. A Scottish cider aged successful oak for 10 months and bottled connected cork, similar a champagne.