The Fine Cider Company, which is behind the Pommelier Club subscription service, has launched a new offering, The Fundamentals of Fine Cider.
The new venture opens up the company’s activities to a wider public, explaining how the pereception of good cider is undergoing a change akin to that of the craft beer and natural wine sectors.
Those who order from the website will get bottles of fine cider to drink (a case of three or six large bottles) as well access to tech sheets for each cider, telling how they were made and suggesting food pairings.
What is fine cider?
It’s a world away from mass-market cider, which in Britain can legally be 35% apple concentrate, and 65% water. That’s an aberration in history, an incredibly industrial creation, says Fine Cider Co founder, Felix Nash.
But before, especially in the 17th and 18th century ‘heyday’ of cider in Britain, it was known as the ‘native English wine’, made in a wine-like way, with a similar sense of provenance, understanding of apple varieties like wine grapes, and a true sense of terroir.
Fine cider is on the rise once again, taking this history as the foundation of a modern renaissance in cider.
Fergus Henderson, co-owner of St John, London, enjoying a fine cider
Trevor Gulliver, co-founder of St John, London, where fine ciders can be enjoyed, said: “Felix is one of those heroes of local produce and producers… These ciders (and perrys) bear no relation, in terms of provenance, endeavour, cost, landscape, or heritage to the commercial ciders that compete for the mass market.
“For Felix it’s enthusiasm, effort, and the lovely work of the local ‘I can see the orchard from here’ producers [that] opens the door to the past and, most importantly, the future.”
• For more details of The Fundamentals of Fine Cider, visit its website.
