How to Pair Heritage Ciders with Cheese This Fall

Brisk fall days are ideal for sipping cider—and not only the super-sweet non-alcoholic variety. Several centuries ago our European brethren had the right idea when they started fermenting their apples into alcoholic apple drinks. The Greeks and Romans are known to have made cider and when the Romans invaded the UK in 55 B.C., they were already sipping cider. Northern France and Northern Spain were also known to ferment cider hundreds of years ago, but the stuff is very different than typical American cider, which is often overly sweet.

Cider in the UK, Northern France, and Northern Spain is fermented naturally and known for being bone dry, tannic, and hardly sweet at all. The United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM) has named these ciders Heritage Ciders, acknowledging their difference from modern U.S. hard ciders.

Heritage ciders pair well with cheese, thanks to their high acidity and dryness. We talked to experts about their favorite cheese and heritage cider pairings to enjoy all season long.

Asturian and Basque-style ciders

Basque Cider House photo credit Jonny Hunter

Sidra, Spanish for cider, has a rich history in northern Spain dating all the way back to the first century in Asturia. Sidras are known for being naturally fermented with no added sugar, leading to a tart and highly acidic drink that is cloudy and without bubbles. It’s traditionally poured straight from the barrel from a great height to create some fizz. Sidra can be hard to find in the U.S., but it is gaining in popularity, with U.S. brands like Tilted Shed Ciderworks in Sonoma making Spanish-style sidras, and importers bringing bottles in from Spain, like Portland, Oregon’s Ciders of Spain. “I think the high acidity lends itself to pairings with numerous styles of cheeses, since they were made to cut through rich, fatty, oily foods,” says Michelle Loayza, a sales associate at Forever Cheese who is an avid cider fan. She suggests trying Basque-style sidra with raw sheep’s milk cheeses like Idiazabal, Urepel, and Mitica Ovelha Amanteigado and washed rind cheeses like Luna Llena, Patacabra, and Robiola di Bosco. Asturian style sidra, which a bit fruitier, goes well with robust blues like Cabrales and La Peral, aged cow's milk cheeses like Mitica Mahon Reserva, Sapore Mitica, and bandaged Cheddar, and Alpine style cheeses like Fontina Alpeggio and Bettelmatt, according to Loayza.

Normandy and Brittany-style Ciders

Normandy Ciderie photo credit: Devorah Lev-Tov

Northern France has been making cider, or as they call it cidre, from its native apples for centuries and the ciders that emerge from the region are distinct, due to the types of apples used (bittersweet) as well as the production method. The method, called keeving, uses pectin to ensure a long, slow fermentation that is completed inside the bottle. This results in a natural sparkle, good tannin structure, and a low ABV level. Charles Duque the Managing Director, Americas for Cniel, the French Dairy Board who oversees the French Cheese Board in New York City, suggests pairing French cidre with soft bloomy-rind cheeses. “The perfect match, is pairing Camembert from Normandy and a PDO Pays d’Auge cider,” says Duque. “The harmony lies in the terroir, since both are produced in the same area, but also in the complementarity of textures and flavors.” He also recommends washed rinds from Normandy like Livarot and Pont l´Évêque with brut ciders and hard cheeses like Comté, Beaufort, and French Emmental for their dry and salty texture that go well with slightly more bitter ciders.

Recommondation: Val de Rance L’Authentique French Cider Brut Silver NY 2020 International Cider Competition

 UK-Style Cider

UK Cider Scrumpy photo credit: Smabs Sputzer

The UK has a wide range of ciders, but the best known is the West Country Farmhouse style, also called Scrumpy. Traditionally made using tannic apple varieties like Dabinett, Kingstone Black, and Foxwhelp, “these ciders have a burnt toffee sweetness and an astringent finish from the tannin,” says Sam Wilkin, head cheesemonger at The Cheese Bar in London. Predictably, Scrumpy goes great with English cheddar. “You can’t go wrong in pairing an 18-month matured Farmhouse, clothbound cheddar such as Westcombe or Montgomery,” says Wilkin. “Rich, savory, beefy notes in the cheese contrast satisfyingly with the sweet apple flesh flavor in the cider and the tannin plays off against the fat and proteins with a big, bold mouth-feel finish.” 

Recommendation: Celtic Ciders UK Cider Producer of the Year NY 2020 International Cider Competition

More cider? Head to Alcohol Professor to read 4 Cider Styles to Explore this Fall.