What is Perry Cider?

Sometimes referred to as Perry wine due to the fact it is produced using similar techniques and at high quality having similar flavour profiles to grape wine, Perry is in fact a pear cider traditionally produced in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire as well as South Wales and Normandy.

The pears used aren't your typical supermarket eating pears, but specific hybrid varieties that are small and relatively bitter. There are hundreds of varieties. Perry was in decline up until 2007 with only farming communities even knowing what it was. There's been an increase however and various businesses are putting in the effort to rediscover lost varieties (many of which have been only found in a single tree on farms) and recultivate old orchards for production.

There has been some controvesy with this rediscovery of the drink. CAMRA states that 'pear cider' as made by the large industrial cidermakers (Kopparberg for example) is a cider-style drink flavoured with pear concentrate, whereas 'perry' should be made by traditional methods from perry pears only. The National Association of Cider Makers disagress however, and maintains that pear cider and perry can be used interchangeably.

Whatever the case, proper perry pear perry tends to be lighter and more floral than commercially named pear ciders and is importantly made without added water. It really is all about the pear flavour in proper perry.