Marks and Spencers Pear Cider

Here is the other perry that I wanted to try. It is easy to get hold of and, yup, its a Westons. If you sit it side by side with the other bottle it is identical (OK, the bottles are identical). It is actually 0.1% different ABV... but this really means nothing as trading standards allow a 0.5% leeway either way (this it is actually 1% out either way, but lets be honest - that would be really bad form eh!). So, essentially it is identical. Well, not quite.

The difference between these bottles is that one has an ingredients list on it. This allows me to analyse the processes that Weston's use to make the perry/pear cider... if only CAMRA would do it's own homework and work these things out for itself then perhaps their definition of cider and perry wouldn't need constant inspection and adjustment. Here are my notes:

1. Pear juice. This is both juice 'content' and pear juice used to sweeten (which in itself counts towards the juice content even though it is added 'after the fact'). It is encouraging that this is still the main ingredient.
2. Water. This is the second largest constituent and is what is used to cut a cider or perry from, say, 14% down to 7.4% or 7.3%.
3. Glucose Syrup. This is very commonly used to chaptalise - which put simply means increase a gravity (alcohol) from 6% (average pear gravity) to, say, 14%. This is done prior to fermentation and the resulting beverage is stored until required, and then subject to 2.
4. Acidity regulator, Malic Acid, Lactic Acid. Well, this is what happens when you bugger about with cider or perry!
5. Preservative, sulphite. A normal addition
6. Yeast. Clearly (mind you fermenting out to, for example, 14% you will need a yeast that can handle much higher strengths of alcohol than your average yeast.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I support food labelling requirements for alcoholic beverages. Bet you don't see that in the Weston's adverts!

So, let us get on with this perry. I am trying this a day after the Henry Weston's so I should be able to compare them fairly well. Why am I doing this? Well, Westons do have 'form' for releasing the same drink under a different name. Is it wrong? Well, that is not for me to say - I will leave it up to the readers to judge.

It is a medium dry cider, moderately sparkling and yellow in colour. It is also bright and sparkly. It smells of pear juice, although I note that I am not getting sulphite this time - so the pear smell is unhindered.

Sure enough, the taste is very juicy and it comes across as more a medium than medium dry. I do get a touch of tannin and some acid. It is very similar to the Henry Westons I tried last night.

Don't get me wrong - it isn't that it is a terrible drink. It is just uncomplicated, when I find really good quality perry IS complicated. This is attempting to do for perry a kind of cider like experience for the drinker - simple, pear like and pretty strong in alcohol. This is a shame - and even with my limited perry experience I do believe it is a mistake.

As for the two perries being identical. Well, it isn't the first time and, lets be honest, I don't know how the buyers for the supermarkets work. I can certainly forgive this more than, say, producing two (or three or four) ciders that are identical and selling them under your own monika.

Anyway, the scores are somewhat identical too. 56/100.

Marks and Spencers Herefordshire Vintage Cider

Right, we need to leave the single varieties and apple varieties there for the moment. It's not just because I have drunk all those I had (although... I have:-), its that there are a lot of other ciders lining up to be tried and it would be nice to start to get through some of them before Christmas! No doubt some enterprising member of my family will find something I haven't tried before. Well, I guess that may be more wishful thinking than anything else, but I might get money for cider (hint hint to the family!)

This Marks and Spencers cider has been sat around for a while - and makes a good start back on the blends for me. Why? Well, because most people who can get to a M&S ought to able to buy it and try it for themselves, that's why. It is made for them by that prolific 'own brand' manufacturer, Westons (it says so on the front of the bottle). Being Marks and Spencers, on the upper end of the ubiquitous supermarket chains, it has an ingredients list. Ummmmm. Played around with more than aptly describes what it says. I am not even sure what an acidity regulator is, although something in the back of my head suggests it regulates highly acidic juice - possibly dessert fruit... possibly even cookers???

One thing that is interesting is that the apples (whatever the apple content is**) are all from a single orchard and include Dabinett, Harry Masters Jersey and Michelin. I am very familiar with these three apples and at least 2 are among my favourite varieties. Both Dabinett and HMJ are faily big hitters for tannin, so I ought to expect a good amount of it in this cider. So, with these three varieties in the blend - why do you need an acidity regulator???

By taking a further look at the bottle, I see it is 6.5%, so at least its within normal range for cider.

**this comment may be both unkind and unfair... although I have been told by a member of Weston's own staff that "all our ciders start at 14-15%

It pours light golden and moderately carbonated. It smells bittersweet and light too, although for the first time in a while I am getting a bit of sulphite as well. Then the taste. It is sweet with an understated tannin and a good measure of acid.

It is quite syruppy though, and whilst it is very easy to drink (I guess that is its point) I am finding it a touch bland and, well, 'regulated'.

There is a short aftertaste, which is quite watery on the tongue. I am a bit sad that I didn't get the full measure of the quality cider fruit that went into the blend. I had really hoped it would deliver too. I still have hopes that Weston's will surprise me one day (and despite my whining, they really aren't bad ciders). However, I should have guessed at the ingredients list really.

A slightly tight score of 64/100 for this one. Above average but no cigar... I mean, apple.

Marks and Spencers Devon Farmhouse Cider

Another low alcoholic cider. No, wait, its 4.5%. So this is Marks and Spencers Devon version of cider, although it is produced for them by Sampford Orchards (or Sampford Courtenay - purveyors of Elderberry and Sloe Cider at Waitrose).

It is nice to get away from all those ciders from Herefordshire and Somerset though - I feel that they are getting the lion share of the reviews of late. Each region has its own blends, own style and (for some regions) its own type of cider. Its a lot more complex than simply Western and Eastern traditions! A breather for at least one or two ciders then... I am sure I will get back to them sooner or later (well, looking at all the ciders on my 'cider shelf' I can say without hesitation or repetition that it will be sooner rather than later!

Every time I come round to a Marks and Spencer's cider, it seems I have a go at them about their ingredients listing. I supposed this is simply because they actually put the ingredients on their bottles of cider - something to be applauded. I think they must be the only ones who do this!. Lets have a quick look at these then:

Ingredients - Apple juice, water, carbon dioxide, malic acid, sulphites and yeast. In that order.

What can I tell about this cider from that then? Well, being 4.5%, I have little doubt that the water was used to cut the cider down to a required %, the sugar was then added to bring it to its medium dry moniker (with a little pasteurisation to stabilise). Malic acid is used to correct acidity, so that is a little more engineering to produce a consistent flavour profile. Sulphites and yeast are pretty staple cider diet to be honest, and its normal to see them there. On the other hand, the water and sugar could have been used to bump up the % to super alcohol, and then its cut back to its 4.5%. I guess its hard to read everything into an ingredients list eh!

Whilst I do sympathise with producers who want to make a large volume of cider - it must be easy to increase and adjust - what I call correcting a cider. However, I have to say that once you put your foot onto that slippery slope you will find yourself into commodity drinks that are 'like' cider in no time at all. I am not saying for certain this is what has happened here, but the ingredients list is a little telling. I ought to add that I am writing this intro several days after having tried the cider, so the objectivity I needed was back then. I am just trying to work out what that means overall.

The cider itself is a light golden colour with an aroma that, whilst faintly fruity, has little tannin to it. There is little fizz to push the smell about though. It is brightly clear (no surprise) and on first approach it just seems a bit, well, faint.

To taste it is syrupy and sweet. Nowhere near its medium dry in my book. Sure, the taste has a whiff of tannin about it, but it does have plenty of acidity and sweetness. Its not an eastern cider - it has more body generally - but it is completely controlled. The aftertaste is short and sweet (as in both short and pretty sweet - not as in excellent).

Now, I do remember what farmhouse ciders - even Devonian ones - should taste like, and I am afraid this isn't it. It probably is of a better/different quality to some of those rough farmyard drinks I recall from my youth, but it is arguable whether this is a better example of the farm cider.

There is one further point that should be made though. As has been pointed out to me recently on one of my other reviews, the supermarkets approach producers with a clear idea (maybe even a recipe) for the cider that they want. And the producer must stick to it. Why would a drinks engineer, 'brand leader' or blooming cider buyer think that they know best - or better than a real Devon cider maker? I have no doubt that Sampford can and do make cracking ciders. So, my message to said supermarket people is this; please be guided by the maker, don't force them to bastardise their cider to fit your recipe!

This cider scores 58/100

Marks and Spencer Somerset Traditional Cider

Another Marks and Spencers - another Thatchers cider. I think they must make more cider for other people than for themselves. Yep, I know this is a common comment on Thatchers reviews, but I keep finding them under different names... so its worth repeating!


What is it about green bottles? I must have been spoiled with ciders in clear bottles. I like clear glass - you can see the golden/yellow and in one case orange glow of the cider without having to open it. Not so with green glass - its impossible to tell until its in the glass. Not that this cider was ever going to be anything other than golden and highly sparkling!

Now. Here is a thing. Occasionally, mainly on a full juice cider, you will find an ingredients list. But a cider from a major cidermaker??? A cider from a supermarket??? Fascinating! And, because its there, I can list it on here:-) This is not to criticise Thatchers or M and S - I ought to really award extra points for the transparency and honesty! Very brave! I think its worth listing as there is very little other opportunity to do so.

So. The biggest component... apple juice from concentrate. Next... Water. Then we have glucose syrup (not natural to apples), fructose syrup (more natural to apples), malic acid, Co2 and sulphites. Lastly, we have yeast. I could write an essay about this. I won't do that though as its a review and not an essay. OK, I may do a little bit...

First off, just because its made from concentrate does not always mean 'Chinese concentrate'. Often producers press apples and then concentrate for storage. The apple pressing season lasts 4 months at most in the UK, so the largest producers concentrate to store for making into cider later. They only have so much storage space eh. Is it the same once reconstituted? How much water is involved in that process and what percentage juice is a result of its reconstitution? (and don't forget that the water used in reconstitution of concentrate is not generally the same as the water used subsequently) Is this then chemically adjusted? OK, there is no space to answer any of this here. I jsut wanted to make the point that it is not necessarily bad.

Next, one could comment on the use of sugar. But then that may be also unfair - lots of large producers up the alcohol level of their cider - it makes more cider (that's maybe why the second largest part is water - its used to bring the alcohol level down to 5.5%).  And then malic acid is used to balance the cider out. The UK legal minimum juice content is 35%... most are a fair bit higher than that although do remember that a full juice cider would be greater than 85%. Also, if its reconstituted, the 35% is an even muddier concept!

I guess the most I would say (by way of pinning my colours to the mast) is that once you start on the road away from using just apple juice, you end up having to use more and more chemicals and rubbish to correct and 'bring back' the cider. At some point it stops being traditionally made and starts becoming a mere commodity. But then, that is modern industry and economics for you.

Now, I suspect I ought to review the cider now! Apologies to both Marks and Thatchers for riding roughshod over the review (though I guess they probably don't care).

As expected, this cider is a golden cider with a fairly high carbonation. Although the aroma is faint, it smells of both juice and toffee apple (and west country cider too). Its pleasant to look at and once the bubbles have subsided, which takes a while, its a good drink.

There is some tannin to this cider. There is a bit of acid too. In fact it is well balanced and a little character to suit it. I have to say it is a bit safe... though remember I tried the cider and wrote the comments about it before going on to write this and comment on labels etc. If anything, I do have another cider in mind when I drink this... yup, Green Goblin.

It has a short aftertaste which is as balanced as the cider itself. Don't get me wrong, it has a body to it. The aftertaste fades into an apple juice taste (though, in the spirit of a balanced cider its not particularly or overly juicy).

I think this is a cider that is for the masses. As Marks and Spencers only sell a very limited range of cider (and certainly not other brands generally) there is a place for a Green Goblin-esque cider from Thatchers in there. It has a character to it and is very drinkable.

A score of 65/100

Marks and Spencers Breton Cider

One feels that one needs to be a little technical with this cider. After all, M&S don't make cider themselves, so the provenance of this cider is a good question. Not that it makes a difference to the score, the cider gets judged from the glass and not from any odd fact I may have handy to pad out reviews and make them more informative. After all, just reviewing cider without some context is not appreciating the whole story of the drink. Cider is like that. Its not (generally) found in a factory off the M4. Its not (generally) made at any old time to suit demand. Its a created and (generally) living thing. In a real sense (cider-bore alert!) each cider has a unique journey to tell from orchard to glass involving (generally) people that are passionate about their 'thing' - be it apple trees, pressing and fermentation, delivery and service. Its a great industry full of (generally) very nice and enthusiastic people.

OK, back on track:-) This cider is made from (quote from the label) 5 different varieties of Breton Apples from Guiller Freres in Britanny. OK. My geography is quite frankly rubbish. I got sent out of class several times for making farm animal noises during the lesson, so it's safe to assume I didn't pay attention. Mind you, we didn't have Google maps then eh. So, Guillet Freres is a place in Brittany, rather than the producer of the cider. Sadly, I cannot find out who made it. Never mind. It wasn't Marks though:-)

Lets get on and try it eh. Well, it certainly has the typical foamy carbonation to it; just right for a French style of cider. And it has a toffee apple smell to it as well. Appetising if not a little sweet smelling (pardon the pun). Its at this point that I looked at the bottle to find it weighs in at 2% vol. That makes this what is known as a 'douce'.The fermentation is made to be very weak and stops at a low alcoholic volume. Its a very sweet style of cider and requires a bit of a sweet taste.

And it is indeed incredibly juicy and sweet. So at least it fits the expectation... albeit it would have been nice to have known that it was a douce. The taste is gentle apple juice with no real tannin but a bit of acid floating around. Its a very posh appletise with a touch of alcohol to make it an adults drink:-)

Saying all that, I am actually enjoying it more than I expected to. So many of the UK ciders are awash with apple juice these days that the taste is not unfamiliar. It is far too sweet as a cider for me, but as a jucie based drink it passes very nicely. As an aside, I used to think that using apple juice to sweeten cider must be the most natural and unintrusive method of sweetening a cider. Of course, adding juice means pasteurising the cider to stop it from fermenting back down to dry again (cider does that!). However, I am now convinced that although it may be less 'artificial' than a sweetener, it certainly is intrusive to the overall taste!

So, its juicy and a little alcoholic. Its got a juicy aftertaste too, which does linger but tastes of apple juice. OK, its not going to be for the hardened drinker, but for its style (which is not obvious from the label) its not bad. The score of 66 is reflective for the style of cider it is.

Marks and Spencer Somerset Dabinett Cider

OK, this is starting to get funny. I present for your delectation the classic, the vintage, the oak matured Somerset Dabinett Cider from Marks and Spencers. Actually, its name is too long for the pdf field for the name, but here it is in its full glory: Somerset Oak Matured Dabinett Vintage Cider (2010). Now, take don't forget to take a breath:-)

So, why is this funny. Well, M&S don't make just cider; actually it would appear they don't make cider - in this instance its our old friends Thatchers once again. Now don't they have a lot of fingers in a lot of pies!

This has two things I am watching out for - well, three if you count the fact that its a Thatchers (although forgive me if I cannot exactly remember the taste and profile of all their range of ciders). Firstly, its an S.V., a single variety - even after so many ciders I am still not converted. Secondly, its matured in oak. Traditional? Yes it is. Serves a purpose? Yes, wood is probably a the best material to naturally start a malolactic fermentation (not a fermentation at all really, but a process that rounds off the edges and is widely felt to create a vintage cider). Does it actually add anything special to the flavour? I am not convinced of this - cider is not sat in wood for long enough. OK, if it were new oak I would bet it would add a woody flavour to the cider,which is not necessarily a good thing, but 100 year old vats???? Hmmmm.

Nevertheless, its a hard job trying ciders and one has to persevere... sorry - I am actually looking forward to it.

It has a bit of a flourish to start off with, but its moderately carbonated and a nice golden colour. It even smells of dabinett too - a moderately deep smell. It doesn't smell of juice either (I think I have tried too many recently that have had too much juice in - maybe I am getting over sensitive about it!). And then there is the taste. Sure, there is dabinett there. Its rather nice actually. A little on the sweet side of medium dry... its really a medium in terms of taste, although the bubbles could be lifting its profile a little too. Its a little watery, which is a shame, but not unexpected. Some other Thatchers ciders share this too; looking back at my records I haven't tried a Thatchers Dabinett though.

The aftertaste is fairly thin and sweet too, although really not unpleasant at all. I guess this is like most other thatchers I have tried, competent but not exactly hard working in the stunning category. Its well done but perhaps a bit safe.

As an afterthought, I went back through my reviews to pick out the Thatchers from the 'own brands' and guess what. Nearly all of them turn out to be made by Thatchers. They have this market covered eh! (I have updated the labels to now reflect the Thatchers heritage).

A score of 64 is comparable with the other own brands. Sorry about the quality of the photo. Not one of my best!