Here’s to a Ridiculously Good Perry Month here on Cider Review! This August Bank Holiday Weekend I spent up on the North Norfolk coast with family. Amongst a lot of very nice (and already fully-booked) restaurants, I managed to find the Wells Crab House which alongside some delicious food, had Whin Hill’s Dry Norfolk Cider on their drinks menu. It paired beautifully with the meal and has to have been one of the first times in this neck of the woods I’ve found a full juice, dry cider on the menu of a restaurant. Oh for more places like the Wells Crab House!

After delivering a tasty crab sandwich to Mark and Lisa Jarvis over the road in their cidery I noticed they still had a few of their single variety perries left for sale. The Medium Sparkling Norfolk Perry (reviewed in this article back in 2022) has long been a staple of Whin Hill’s range, and so to see a 2023 season Thorn and a Brandy single variety bottling on the shelves has been a pleasant development. Earlier on in the year, I took the Brandy down to the London Cider Club to share with their lovely club members as an example of perry grown and produced in Norfolk. It had only recently been bottled at that point, so this tasting was an opportunity to see the effect of a bit more time on the liquid in the bottle.

Being based on the eastern fringes of the map of the UK, I fully understand perry’s historical significance to the areas around the western edges (I’m bundling English and Welsh counties in together here). Alongside this, I take great pride when walking around Mark and Lisa’s orchard in Stanhoe to see varieties like Yellow Huffcap, Thorn, Moorcroft, Brandy, Winnal’s Longdon, and more, growing so well in the soil and the climate that Norfolk offers. The trees in their orchard went in around the same time as the first plantings in the Three Counties showground in Malvern, mid-1990s (quite hard to visit these trees it turns out, compared to those in the National Perry Pear Centre in Hartpury). If the effects of a changing climate, a relentless drive to build housing estates on orchards, and the progression of diseases and pests across our natural world are to be countered in a small manner, it makes total sense in my mind for more folk to consider planting these trees that originated in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Monmouthshire, in their orchards further afield.

Before we get to the reviews, I couldn’t resist asking Mark a few questions about Whin Hill’s perry-related offerings:

Cider Review: How have these two single variety perries gone down with visitors to your cidery in Wells so far this season?

Mark Jarvis: Very well, they’ve enjoyed both of them. Thorn a little bit more than Brandy I’d say.

CR: What do the single varieties mean to you in your range?

MJ: This is the first time we’ve done single variety perries. We’ve had single variety ciders in for a while now. Last year we looked at the orchard, just before we were going to harvest, these two varieties had the most fruit on them, whilst the other trees didn’t have too much on them so we thought we may as well try a move away from our Medium Sparkling Norfolk Perry to two different single varieties.

CR: How do you harvest the pears from your orchard?

MJ: This year we’re going to catch them on nets under the trees. Last year we shook the trees the same way we do with our apples, but the machine can do a bit too much damage to the fruit when it falls, so it’s panking pole and nets this year! The shaker can’t quite handle some of these trees now, they’ve got far too tall for it to get all the fruit.

CR: What’s the proportion of perry pear trees to apple trees in your orchard?

MJ: We’ve got 55 rows in total in the orchard. Two full rows of perry pears, and a perimeter edge of perry pear trees along two sides, so I’d say roughly four rows out of 55 are perry pears. 7% or 8% in total.

CR: Growing up working on the Sandringham Estate, had you dealt with perry pears before taking over Whin Hill?

MJ: No. Never seen one before in my life. It’s a rare sight in East Anglia. We’re one of the few commercial orchards growing them over here. As you well know, they grow well here though! Some of them are a bit biennial, but that’s normal.

CR: How is the fruit set for perry pears looking this year?

MJ: About the same as last year. Moorcroft and Hellen’s Early there doesn’t look to be took much on them, but the Thorn and Brandy look to have a good crop again so we’ll do the same couple of single varieties for next year.

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Whin Hill, Thorn Single Variety Norfolk Perry 2023 – review

How I served: In the fridge for a couple of hours, then served on the balcony at the end of a lovely Bank Holiday weekend (this bit doesn’t affect the serving I’m sure).

Appearance: Lemony peachy hue, with that hazy radiance you get from some perries that refuse to clarify 100%. Light level of fizz (force carbonated in this case) giving a thin mousse that retreats to the edge of the glass after a minute.

On the nose: Citrus and pear skin, more pomelo than lemon in this case. A bit of a familiar Whin Hill house style aroma which I’d class as clean, uniform and fruity – prevalent across all their ciders and perries.

In the mouth: Flavours popping everywhere in the mouth from the gentle effervescence- its pomelo, pear, and specifically that smell of thorn pears on the ground in Autumn, but transferred from aroma to taste. Transporting me straight back to mid-to-late September in the orchard. A tannic undertone, with an element of powdery white pepper that you’d take camping with you as a kid. This particularly reminds me of the smell and texture of a perry pear orchard floor – who knew white pepper and citrus would do this?! Then at the end, refresher sweets, sherbet all over the palate. Super evocative and tasty.

In a nutshell: A brilliant evocative of place and variety. One to add alongside the True Taste of Thorn bottlings from Ross Cider this year.

Whin Hill, Brandy Single Variety Norfolk Perry 2023 – review

How I served: 3 hours in the fridge then out on the balcony after the evening dog walk.

Appearance: On the peach Melba end of the visual spectrum. Rose gold. Gentle Whine Hill level of effervescence and similar mousse to the Thorn single variety.

On the nose: Almost a bittersweet cider nose, mild leather notes, cherry frangipane, stewed pears in syrup.

In the mouth: A prickle of acidity and then it’s the dulcet tones of fruity tannins that take over. If you like Major as a single variety cider, you’ll love Brandy as its perry cousin. Substantive mouthfeel that starts like a fuse lit at the front of the palate and the swiftly encompasses all of the mouth in its tannin blanket. All whilst being fruity and fun.

In a nutshell: Inspiring thoughts of Bacchus in my mind! There’s a whole lot of history and fun to be had with this varietal.

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Conclusions

I wish I’d had the Medium Sparkling Norfolk Perry to review alongside these two single varieties – it would have made for an interesting dissection of flavour profiles. But alas, it’s been a victim of its own success and long since sold out at the cidery in Wells-next-the-Sea. Cambridge-based online bottle shop Ciderincider still has some in 500ml format for £3.80 a bottle. The two 750ml bottles are available from the cidery if you’re paying them a visit, or on their website shop for around £4.50 a bottle – astounding value!

Seeing Mark and Lisa take a chance on single variety expressions of their perries is brilliant, and the fact they’re selling well shows that both the locals, and the visiting holidaymakers are willing to explore a bit further down the rabbit hole that is perry. I’m very grateful for these little outposts of interesting cider and perry producers over here in East Anglia. I know James (Chapel Sider) and Paul (Hoe Hill Cider) in Lincolnshire feel the same way – it’s good to have buddies to call on, and nearby producers to compare your drinks with. Long live Thorn and Brandy in all corners of the globe!