The Problem of Style: Part Two
Hopefully, part one made it clear that cider’s place in the world is confused, particularly in mainstream bars and restaurants, and in need of more respect and knowledge on both sides of the bar. Adam Wells highlighted the specific need for transparency in cider if we are ever to successfully rethink it (seriously read that article).
Sadly, there are very few establishments where the staff have as much knowledge of the cider they sell as they do the beers or the wines.
Beyond a handful of establishments, including, but not exhaustively, Fram Ferment, Cidrothèque and Real Al Co, there is a real need for more cider knowledge in the bars and restaurants of the UK. Not only that, there is a very clear lack of direction in how we begin building a knowledge base in the way beer has with Cicerone and the BJCP, or wine has with the Sommelier programme. There is of course the fledgling Pommelier programme which is doing tremendous work and needs more support from cider producers, consumers and commentators.
Previously we discussed the ways in which wine and cider are similar. The route towards rethinking cider is, in my opinion, by reimagining our evaluation of cider in a more wine-like way, with emphasis on like cider must remain its own discrete culture. This is certainly a more difficult endeavour than creating a styles taxonomy like beer, and would involve adding more complexity to our assessment of cider as a drink and would certainly require more care and education to be successful.
Cider, like wine, reflects the soul of the land it is grown on, the terroir, in a way that beer often does not. Varietals, geographies and methodologies are of the utmost importance in wine: or at least, in the wider public perception of wine. Think about the famous wine grapes that nearly anyone could name: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc; or the wine regions that are ubiquitous even in our supermarkets: Burgundy, Rioja and Marlborough. Why cannot cider achieve this? Why are Herefordshire and Somerset not the globally renowned homes of household names like Kingston Black, Dabinett and Yarlington Mill?
Cidermakers should also do better. They should include information about the varietals they’ve used, and where they have come from: something that is prominent in New World cidermaking where cider fruit is scarce and there are also heavy wine influences. They should be talking about the methodology used and why, with particular focus on wild fermentation, barrel-fermentation or aging, keeving and/or cold racking. But perhaps most importantly the intentions of the cidermaker; explaining your intentions is of paramount importance. When a brewer makes a helles there is a clear lineage of beers that we can use to judge the quality of their helles but when the intentions of the cidermaker are muddied or intentionally vague, and there is no standard nor wider understanding of the combination of varieties and methods employed, it allows poor quality ciders in fancy bottles to enter the market without the due criticism.
But equally we as writers and thinkers and drinkers need to ask questions. Whether in person or on social media, ask cidermakers about their product: How is it made? What varieties are in it? Why is it in a champagne bottle? Why did you make this cider? These questions will not only improve your understanding of the cider you’re drinking but it will tell cidermakers that there is a genuine curiosity for this information (and force them to interrogate their own motivations and methods). It is the responsibility of all of us, makers, retailers, and drinkers to improve the health of the environment that cider exists in and thus chip away at that image problem a little bit too.
As I said in part one, it is not the case that cider needs a formal taxonomy of styles: adding too many restrictions, whether legislative or stylistic, limits the creativity of cidermakers. That creativity is something we’ve seen to be a powerful driver of growth in the cider industries of the New World, though not without its own problems. But a more wine-like approach which showcases transparency of varietal, origin and methodology would help to demystify this obscure drink and draw in those beer and wine drinkers who can leverage their knowledge and palate to better understand and appreciate cider.
