I CAN still remember my first drink of cider. Not the taste, there wasn’t much, but the sensation of wondering what the fuss was about. That must have been at least 35 years ago.

It took another 30 years before I tried it again. This time, it was a traditionally made cider from a craft cider maker. It was excellent, the equivalent of a good wine and I have been a (quality) cider fan ever since.

Cider popularity is enjoying rapid growth in Australia and the US. Washington State University’s Professor Carol Miles recently told cider makers and orchardists at the 2016 Cider Industry Conference at Batlow, NSW, that US cider consumption grew by about 800 per cent between 2007 and 2015. And, despite phenomenal growth, cider represents less than 5 per cent of the alcoholic beverage market.

Mark Shimmen, business manager of alcoholic drink distributor Pinnacle Drinks, confirmed similar levels of growth and market share for cider in Australia.

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The growth in cider is being driven by younger consumers in their 20s, spread evenly between female and male drinkers, although it appeals to all ages.

While growing demand has been satisfied by a few major brands, the popularity of the Batlow Cider Industry Conference, now in its fifth year, and the growth in industry bodies such as Cider Australia, which runs the annual Australian Cider Awards, are the result of increasing interest in cider making.

Like the craft beer market, now booming with start-up micro breweries which blossomed in an industry dominated by just a few large beer brewers, industry pundits are signalling a bright future for new cider entrants. At present there are only a handful of craft cider makers in an industry dominated by a small number of larger suppliers and imports.

APPLES AIN’T APPLES

Apples derive their taste profile from three groups of compounds: acids, sugars and tannins.

Popular eating apples are high in sugar, relatively low in acidity and have low tannin content. Cooking apples are low in tannins and sugar, but tend to be more acidic, which helps impart flavour when cooked.

The varieties preferred for cider making tend to be high in tannins, which imparts the richness and taste complexity found in quality ciders. Some have high sugar content and may also be reasonably acidic. As a result of the high tannin, most cider varieties are not good to eat.

All fruit contains sugar, which is the basis for making alcohol. During fermentation yeast converts sugar to alcohol while the fruit imparts the flavour and identity of the resulting drink.

When the fruit used contains significant amounts of tannins, the resulting drink, be it wine or cider, has the potential to be complex and rich. In the absence of tannins, for example in wine made from table grapes or cider made from eating apples, the resultant drink is likely to be quite bland.

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“RUBBISH IN, RUBBISH OUT”

You rarely hear this expression now, but when personal computing was relatively novel, those words were a reminder that good output depends on quality input.

Although the age-old art of cider making is about as far as you can get from the digital age, the same sentiment holds true, good cider starts with good apples. The challenge is finding the right apples.

Most apple production in Australia is concentrated on eating apples. There are hardly any cider apples being grown in this country on a commercial basis. Those that are grown are in small orchards owned by the handful of existing and emerging makers of traditional ciders.

There are a number of cider varieties available in Australia and collections of heritage varieties held by state departments of agriculture.

ROADSIDE ROUGHIES

Australia’s roadsides host huge numbers of apple wildlings, hardy trees that have sprung from seed. The often inedible fruit is prized by backyard and small craft cider makers for its contribution to cider blends.

BEST APPLE VARIETIES FOR CIDER MAKING

Kingston Black

One of the better known varieties, Kingston Black is a vintage* quality variety. Difficult to grow, usually biennial bearing (good crops only every second year), but makes great cider.

Yarlington Mill

A traditional Somerset cider apple producing a sweet, slightly astringent, medium bittersweet cider having a good aroma and flavour. Good commercial cropping habit, vintage* quality.

Michelin

Good commercial cropping, good quality blender, producing a medium bittersweet cider. Slight tendency to biennial bearing.

Improved Foxwhelp

One of the premier cider making apples. Ideal blender.

Dabinett

Vintage* quality, produces a sweet, astringent juice and a bittersweet cider.

Brown Snout

High chill requirement so it rarely sets fruit – only in the coldest winters. Early flowering is also a challenge for pollination. Reportedly makes superb cider.

Bulmer’s Norman

High yielding, bittersweet style, producing a fast-fermenting medium cider. Early variety, high tannin, ideal blender with eating varieties.

Common varieties

Eating apples can be useful additions to blended ciders and help bulk up production. Gravenstein, Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Sundowner are commonly used. Cooking variety Bramley Seedling is valued for its acidity and sugar. Crabapples can be a source of tannins when cider apples are not available.

*A vintage variety is one which contains all the components to make a superb quality single variety cider.

— Rob Pelletier runs a heritage fruit tree nursery. For a list of nurseries that supply cider apple varieties, visit expert David Pickering’s cider blog, www.cideroz.com