Results are out for the world’s first 100% fermented fruit tasting

IWSC 2021 highlights

• The IWSC collaborated with Cider Is Wine to launch the first tasting of 100% juice, not-from-concentrate ciders, perries and fruit wines.
• The IWSC received an unprecedented number of entries: over 100 entries from 10 countries.
• Eight gold and 27 silver medals were awarded.
• Two trophies were awarded to a stand-out aged cider and an exceptional ice cider.
• Ice cider was the category to take home the most gold medals, wowing the judges with its complexity and concentration of flavour.
• The medal winners demonstrated ageing potential, diversity of styles and food pairing potential.
• Judges were made up of six leading industry experts: Fiona Beckett, award-winning food and drinks writer; Adam Wells, Co-editor of Cider Review and Writer & Co-editor of Graftwood; Laure Patry, Executive Head Sommelier at the Social Company; Simon Day, Production Director at Haygrove Evolution; Christine Parkinson, Co-founder of Brimful Drinks; Alistair Morrell, Co-founder of Cider Is Wine.

The IWSC, in collaboration with Cider Is Wine, launched the first tasting of 100% juice, not-from-concentrate ciders, perries and fruit wines. The tasting was an opportunity to highlight the quality and diversity of this under-explored category.

Entries spanned a vast range of categories, from ice ciders, keeved ciders, pet nats and many more, with 10 countries represented at the tasting. The unprecedented number of entries meant more judges were recruited to ensure the IWSC’s rigorous judging process was carried out to its high standard. All entries were judged blind, with the experts awarding bronze, silver and gold medals to the stand-out drinks.

Two trophies were awarded. The Cider Trophy went to Welsh producer Llanblethian Orchards for their keeved cider, La Petite Grange du Cidre. Keeving is a practice most widely seen in the north of France, and very popular also in the West of England. With only a handful of producers in the UK championing this category, the judges were wowed by the winner’s “lightly sparkling with ripe apple and quince aromas, an earthy medium-dry style, lively acidity and complex layers of fruit. Utterly drinkable – summer in a glass.”

The Ice Cider Trophy was awarded to Swedish producer Brännland Cider for their naturally-cold-produced ice cider, Brännland Iscider Barrique 2012. The cidery is situated 600km north of Stockholm and, incredibly, this was the producer’s first vintage; the judges were amazed by how gracefully the ice cider had aged. Judges commented on the “complex style of mouth-filling dried fruits, fresh walnut and spiced aromas, finely balanced with lip-smacking acidity, which extends to a long fruit finish. Opulent, decadent and stylish.”

The experts were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ice ciders tasted. They were united in their admiration for what Alistair Morrell described as the “stand-out category”. The category managed to scoop the most gold medals across the board. Christine Parkinson congratulated the producers for the time spent making these “delightful” ciders. Parkinson was encouraged by the category’s “complexity and concentration of flavours; the matured examples showed careful use of ageing”. Laure Patry saw the ease with which restaurants could work with this exciting category, “the concentration and acidity on the finish were well balanced”.

Despite fruit wines being relatively new to the market, Simon Day saw “no limits to the imagination for this category”. Still ciders also caught the judges’ attention, with Parkinson noting that they “showed balance and sophistication”. The skill of the producers was evident in the quality of these ciders; with the absence of bubbles, there’s little room to hide.

With this tasting, the first of its kind, the IWSC and Cider Is Wine set out to raise awareness amongst the trade and industry of this often-misunderstood category. Co-founder of Cider Is Wine, Alistair Morrell explains that “the stunning array of flavours, tastes and styles wowed the judges with its diversity and the potential to sit alongside and be appreciated as much as fine wines. The results are truly a tribute to the producers’ careful crafting, reflecting where these drinks come from, who produced them, the varietals that made them and the year in which they were harvested. In years to come, this tasting will mark the beginning of what the category can achieve with consumer recognition.”

The category shows real versatility and great value for money, CEO of the IWSC, Christelle Guibert hopes “that the results from this tasting will encourage more of the industry to discover these complex and delicious drinks”.

Download results

100% fermented fruit and cider tasting results

Trophies

• Cider Trophy: Llanblethian Orchards La Petite Grange du Cidre NV, Wales
• Ice Cider Trophy: Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider Barrique 2013, Sweden

Gold

• Cydr Chyliczki Lodowa Beczka 2017, Poland
• The Newt in Somerset The Winston 2018, UK
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider 2017, Sweden
• Loïc Raison Doux Fruité NV, France
• Trevibban Mill Oaked Cornish NV, UK
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider 2014, Sweden
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider 2016, Sweden
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider Barrique 2015, Sweden

Silver

• Cydr Chyliczki Kronselka 2020, Poland
• Ecusson Doux NV, France
• Once Upon A Tree Bacchus Cider NV, UK
• Eden Specialty Ciders Cinderella's Slipper 2018, USA
• Once Upon A Tree Blenheim Superb 2019, UK
• Once Upon A Tree The Wonder 2015, UK
• Find and Foster Keeved Cider NV, UK
• Abel Mèthode 2017, New Zealand
• Bayeux Traditionnel NV, France
• Bayeux Doux NV, France
• Trevibban Mill Still Cornish NV, UK
• Eden Specialty Ciders Heirloom Reserve 2015, USA
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider 2018, Sweden
• Chalkdown Cider 2016 UK
• Tinston Anatomy 2018, UK
• Lutton Farm Long Brothers Co-Ferment NV, UK
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider Belle de Boskoop 2015, Sweden
• Lutton Farm Blue Aurora Ice NV, UK
• Guzman Riestra Brut Nature 2018, Spain
• Loïc Raison Traditionnel NV, France
• Bayeux Odon NV, France
• The Newt in Somerset Fine Cyder 2020, UK
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider Barrique 2016, Sweden
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider 2019, Sweden
• Eric Bordelet Poire Granit NV, France
• Berryland Rhubarb Sparkling Mead 2019, Ukraine
• Pyrus 2020, UK

Bronze

• Christian Stolte, the wee Scottish cider company Seidear 2019, UK
• Bayeux Guillaume NV, France
• The Newt in Somerset Fine Rose Cyder 2020, UK
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider 2015, Sweden
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider 2012, Sweden
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider Barrique 2018, Sweden
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider Barrique 2017, Sweden
• Brännland Cider Claim by Brännland 2018, Sweden
• Eden Specialty Ciders Orogenies 2019, USA
• Tor Cider Company Sparkling Somerset 2016, UK
• Chalkdown Cider Extra Lees Aged 2014, UK
• Cydr Chyliczki Czarny Sad 2020, Poland
• Once Upon A Tree Lower Court No1 NV, UK
• Tinston Anatomy English Sparkling Cider 2019, UK
• Loïc Raison Brut Intense NV, France
• Once Upon A Tree Cabernet Co. Sparkling Rose 2018, UK
• Brännland Cider Brännland Iscider 2013, Sweden
• Brännland Cider Claim by Brännland 2017, Sweden
• Trevibban Mill Apple Dessert Wine NV, UK
• Lutton Farm Blue Aurora Midnight NV, UK
• Berryland Cabernet Franc Cider 2020, Ukraine
• La Flaguerie Domaine Circé Cidre Fruité NV, France
• English Wine Project Even Vintage, UK
• Once Upon A Tree Tidnor Wood NV, UK
• Berryland Wild Perry 2020, Ukraine
• Templars Cider Templars Choice naturally Sparkling, Normandy NV, France
• La Flaguerie Domaine Poiré NV, France
• Gaec de la Cave Normande Guesdon Père et fils Poiré AOP Domfront 2019, France
• Idunn Norsjö Wine & Co AB Rålund Classic Dry Wine of Blueberrg Vintage 2019, Sweden
• Idunn Norsjö Wine & Co AB Rålund Superior Dry Wine of Blueberrg Vintage 2019, Sweden
• Sassy Organic Cidre 2021, France
• Temple Cider Michelin 2020, UK
• Temple Cider Yarlington Mill 2020, UK
• Kingston Black S.V. 2019, UK
• Llanblethian Orchards Oak aged Katya single variety 2020, Wales
• Quebrada del Chucao Brut Nature 2018, Chile
• Bayeux Brut NV, France
• Welsh Mountain Cider Pippin Pet Nat 2020, UK
• Once Upon A Tree Kingston Redstreak 2016, UK
• Pyrus Barrique 2020, UK

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