I remember being sat at the kitchen table with my dad, trying to think what to call cider like this โ cider of a provenance and quality more familiar from wine, than the industrial thing we have come to know โ in the end, we settled on 'Fine Cider', and now 10 years later we have the surreal joy of supplying so many brilliant restaurants, shops, pubs and bars, right across the country; including legends like St John and The Fat Duck; the joy of helping found The London Cider House, at Borough Market, of organising the London Cider Salon at the Tate Modern; and the joy of supplying these beautiful creations, these incredible bottles, to countless people all over the country; most of whom we never get a chance to meet.
We specialise mainly in fine British ciders & perries; exquisite bottles sourced from different corners of the country, & made by some of the best cider makers on the planet. They have not travelled far - this is not wine shipped from a different hemisphere - & are in so many ways, as John Evelyn said, โthe native English wineโ. Or as Laurie Lee put it, the โwine of wild orchardsโ, being the creation of our countryside, & the fruit of our summer.
Because cider has become a very industrial and misunderstood thing: for a drink to be called cider in Britain today, it needs only contain 35% apple concentrate, the rest can be water. Yet a renaissance is underway; a return to refined, small batch making, centring on provenance, and cherishing the orchard. And itโs not just the skill this new wave of makers have, or the variety of styles and sheer quality of what they make that is to be valued, itโs the orchards they support.
Orchards are undervalued, from the carbon sink they provide, to the unique biodiversity they support when managed well; they are the last stronghold of red list species like the lesser spotted woodpecker. Not only is this renaissance, this return of refined cider, a chance for each of us to have better cider to drink, more variety and depth of flavour, itโs a chance to value our countryside, our orchards, and the incredible creations that can be made when people work with nature.
As J.M. Trowbridge, of New York, said in 1890: โGood cider is a much greater rarity thanย good wineโ. This is still true today, & as our customers know, good cider is also often better value than good wine, yet no less varied, complex, fascinating, and expressionate of the terroir from which it comes.
Felix Nash
Founder of The Fine Cider Company
WE ARE OPENING A SHOP: to be precise we are moving warehouse to an arch on Mentmore Terraceย in East London (a literal 2 doors up from the brilliant E5 Bakehouse) & will be selling a most incredible range of fine ciders & perries from a counter at the front. Initially this will be on the weekends, starting 25th & 26th May! More details, soonโฆ
We are unbelievably delighted to announce that ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป will be returning to Tate Modern in London, on ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ฎ๐!
This year it will be even bigger & better than last time: there will be more makers (including some renowned international makers, & new UK makers), youโll have more time, & thereโll be more talks (in the morning, rather than during the sessions, some plenty of time for everything; your ticket even gives you free entry to the talks!).
The London Cider Salon is an opportunity to taste a vast array of the finest ciders & perries - the new seasons latest & greatest bottles - & to meet the incredible people who create them; the makers themselves will be there pouring for you on the day.
There will be big bottles of exquisite ciders & perries from around 30 of the finest makers from all over the UK, & (for the first time) a handful of legendary international makers will be joining us for the Salon: including Franceโs renowned ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐, & ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฆ๐
It will be a truly unique, blockbuster celebration of the finest cider, & as this year marks ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐, weโve gone all out, the whole event will be happening high up in the ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป, with the London skyline as the viewโฆ
The talks will cover a range of intriguing subjects in depth. Such as (among others) Financial Times Drinks Writer & Fortnum & Mason Best Drinks Writer prize winner ๐๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ & renowned author & historian ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป. And ๐ง๐ผ๐บ ๐ข๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ interviewing our ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
about cider making & drinking in their part of the world.
You can also make a day of it by buying a ticket that includes lunch or dinner - so why not treat yourself to a full day of cider fascination, with a lovely meal at the brilliant restaurant in the institution that is the Tate Modern.
Book your ticket today HERE.
On the 22nd of April, from 12 noon until 7pm, a set of our finest makers will be showcasing their ciders & perries, within the hallowed Brunswick House, in Vauxhall, London.
It's the ideal chance to taste across our list and find the most incredible creations for Spring & Summer. This is a trade only event, please complete the details below to apply for free trade tickets.
ย
Join us, and over 25 of the countries best cider makers, at the Tate Modern in London, on Saturday the 30th of September 2023 forย The London Cider Salon:
There will be getting on for 100 different bottles there for you to try, each poured for you by the maker themselves. Tickets cost ยฃ30, and there's a 25% discount for Tate Members, and our wholesale customers (contact us for details).ย
ย Aย Financial Times article by Alice Lascelles:ย CLICK HEREย ย to read it!
You can find all ciders mentioned in the article inย Our Traditional Method Selection.ย
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