One minute you’re walking around the Blavatnik building in Tate Modern for the 2026 London Cider Salon, legions of cider fans around you and the assorted cidermakers offering up their wares, and the next moment, nearly two months have passed and already Autumn is just around the corner in a month and a bit. There is a way to extend that London Cider Salon feeling, a visit to the shop at the Salon! As a general rule of thumb, I pay it a visit first thing at most Salons – you’ll always get the widest selection of bottles to choose from and can stash some away to pick up later. As I was visiting the event by train this year, Felix and Aga very kindly let me bundle my selection of drinks in with June’s Pommelier Club box. If you want to find out what the Pommelier Club is, follow that hyperlink back there to last year’s article.

Which factors influenced my bottle purchase decisions this year? Sobremesa is a producer I had met at the 2025 London Cider Salon with Chris George from Cork & Crown. He’d really impressed me with his ambition at single variety perries, local, curious fruit to his corner of Wales, and the presentation style of his little 330ml bottles. I didn’t manage to pick up any of his drinks last year from the event, so when I saw them in in the shop this year, it was an instant purchase. When I heard that Sam and Beccy from Wilding had made a 10.1% abv Moorcroft perry from the sun-kissed 2022 harvest, it was a no brainer, gotta lean into that Made Wine licence as a producer when vintages present themselves like this to you. I’d met Christine Walter in-person at this year’s CraftCon in Taunton and was somewhat star-struck by her presentation on US ciders, so the chance to pick up a single variety McIntosh cider, a variety I’d heard mention on the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast many a time back in 2020/2021, but up till now, hadn’t had a chance to delve into with a tasting in the UK. It was an easy choice to make. Andy Brennan’s Uncultivated book sits on the Cider & Perry part of my bookcase and was a fascinating read a couple of years ago. I never thought I’d see his cider, Aarron Burr cider, or indeed, Andy himself, over here in the UK, so another immediate purchase for one of his bottles. And finally, Glean – the new to me, but not so new on the scene cidery, whose bottles really impressed me on the walk around the Salon, and so I sought out a bottle of there to take home and sample in quieter settings.

I understand that since this year’s London Cider Salon, Felix and Aga are in the process of importing a pallet or two of US cider over to these shores, so for the first time since Grant Hutchison, of Aeble and the Neutral Cider Hotel, stopped his import business, we should have a good supply of quality US ciders on these shores once again. In recent years, I was able to get some very strange cans of US cider from a shop called Beers of America, but that appears to have closed down now, and the reason no reviews of them ended up appearing on these pages was to do with the flavour profiles being with Habenaro Chill, and Pumpkin Pie Cider. I don’t think they quite fit into our full juice, no concentrate, extolling the virtues of the apples mantra here on Cider Review (and my palate didn’t quite know what to do with them, that Pumpkin Pie cider was truly a gloopy, viscous mess). Anyhow, it will be great to have a larger range of US ciders to delve into, either in the Pommelier Club, or via a general order from the Fine Cider Company in the near future.

What follows are my tasting notes for cider from England, the USA, and Wales, just a little snapshot of what was available on the table at the London Cider Salon this year. It looks like the Bristol Cider Salon, held next month on Saturday 15^th August, will also have a nice selection of UK and International cidermakers, so if the South West of England is accessible to you, I wholeheartedly recommend going to that, and if you can get over there the day before, there’s a Cider Supper being held at Native Vine, which looks set to be delicious way to spend an evening. Onto the reviews at hand!

Sobremesa, Gin Perry Single Variety 2023 – review

How I served: A day in the fridge and then 10 mins outside in the garden, it’s hitting 30•c here every day at the moment.

Appearance: Hazy pastel lime hue, the slightest of effervescence creeping up through the liquid, a single bubble-thin mousse on top.

On the nose: Giving off a very familiar Spanish Sidra VA aroma, I can be here for that in the right quantities, like with the Bizio sidra I wrote about a few years ago.

In the mouth: There’s a lovely oily texture to this perry, coming in relatively low abv-wise at 4.4%. No real discernible tannins which I would have expected from Gin pear, what there is is a key lime pie freshness that is just on the verge of being overtaken by the VA at play in the liquid. Whether it’s by design or accident, I can’t tell. I do love this funky 375ml bottle the perry is presented in, and the label is elegant and informative.

In a nutshell: A VA play on the Gin perry pear, one for those that know the variety already and want to experiment with presentation styles.

Sobremesa, Winnal’s Longdon Single Variety 2023 – review

How I served: Day in the fridge and then 10 minutes outside in the garden

Appearance: Good clarity to this, straw gold hue, soft effervescence, a peculiar broken mousse around the rim.

On the nose: Very promising aroma! Winnal’s Longdon is one of my favourite perry pear varieties thus far into my journey. The tropical, perfumed, estery notes it gives off are something to seek out in a single variety expression, and this bottling is doing just that.

In the mouth: Like a Winnal’s Longdon spritz, there’s all the elements there that I love: Sirop de Liège – a Belgian pear jam that goes great on crumpets and waffles, along with a perfumed top note, but, it tastes somehow thinner and more watery than I’m used to with this variety. Perhaps ever so slightly underripe fruit? The finish is brisk but pleasant, everything about this is tasty, near dry on the palate, and at 5%abv it’s carrying a fair bit of flavour on the alcohol. I think I’m just used to a slightly bolder delivery from this variety.

In a nutshell: A delicate, approachable bottling. A Winnal’s Longdon slightly more restrained than you may have tried before…

Wilding, Moorcroft 2022 – review

How I served: A day in the fridge then 10 minutes outside in the summer heat.

Appearance: A tawny, peachy, slightly hazy hue. Still presentation, but a thin layer of bubbles comprising the mousse.

On the nose: Treacle, stewed pears, the toasted top of a crème brûlée, definite sultana note.

In the mouth: A rich, boozy, unctuous delivery. By jove, you can appreciate the 10.1% abv liquid at play here. That record-breaking heat from the summer of 2022 has translated into this big, bold perry. We know from Kevin Minchew’s Last Hurrah bottling that Moorcroft has all the qualities beneficial to ageing long term – I imagine this perry could see a couple of decades in bottle. Love the marmalade tasting note on the label, it’s the first time I’m getting that from a Moorcroft single variety, and it’s here in spades. Some drinks just have a lot going on and going for them, this is one of them.

In a nutshell: Go big Moorcroft or go home! 2022 brought some astounding, flavoursome drinks to bottle, this is one of the standouts. Seek out and relish the experience.

Bauman’s, Pét Mac McIntosh Pét Nat – review

How I served: Day in the fridge, then 15 minutes at room temperature.

Appearance: There was a cork and cage on this bottling so I was expecting mega effervescence, but perhaps it’s just Bauman’s hedging their bets with the Pét Nattiness of the cider. In the end, moderate fizz, 1-2mm mousse on the top of the liquid which is a delightful, vivid brass hue.

On the nose: Appletiser (a soft, fizzy apple juice for our American readers), hints of sour candy notes to come, very clean and fresh aroma.

In the mouth: Oh yes, the tart descriptor for this Canadian variety is apt. Insert designated sour, tangy haribo sweet type of your choice here – I’m leaning more towards those gummy sherbet shoelaces you can get. It’s still absolutely apple-based in what it’s giving off – a fair bit citric and malic acid according to my palate. 6.2% abv, don’t see a vintage on the label. A great one for fish dishes and asparagus! Bone dry presentation.

In a nutshell: Brilliant to finally taste a single variety McIntosh – not one we get in the UK very often, so well worth seeking out if you’re a fan of Bramley and/or softer vintages of Foxwhelp SVCs.

Glean’s, Pet Nat 2023 – review

How I served: A day in the fridge and then 15 minutes outside in the garden.

Appearance: Luminous amber, slight bit of suspended sediment when cracking open the bottle, moderate level of effervescence, thin mousse around rim of glass.

On the nose: Orange marmalade, fabric plasters, lovely farmyard aroma, brambles in autumn, orchard floor.

In the mouth: It’s a rich orange citrus thing going on, specifically orange citrus, a 6% boozy orangina for adults. Medium dry presentation, or at least something about the size of bubbles in my mouth is giving an impression of a tiny bit of residual sugar. Very moreish! Great work Glean, I will seek out more of your work.

In a nutshell: A fantastic introductory bottling to the world of Glean! Pet Nat orchard blend cider done right.

Aaron Burr Cider’s, Bittersweet Cider – review

How I served: A day in the the fridge and then 10 minutes outside in the garden after watering the perry pear trees in the evening “cool” of 29•c.

Appearance: Cork and Cage presentation but upon removing said cork, barely a hizz. I’d say near still presentation. Perhaps hedging bets just incase of a wildly vigorous in-bottle fermentation? Hazy gold hue, thin mousse around rim of glass.

On the nose: The front label mentions this cider’s comparability to Basque ciders and there is indeed a lovely, light VA note to this, but its faint and the smell of a cacophony of apple varieties is also coming through. Very inviting!

In the mouth: This is the first cider I’ve properly tried of Andy Brennan, the author of Uncultivated: Wild Apples, Real Cider, And The Complicated Art Of Making A Living. It does not disappoint. At 7.1% abv it’s a big beast. Wild fermentation is allowing the fruit and local yeast culture in Andy’s part of the Catskills, New York State to speak. Soft tannins compliment a really juicy delivery on the palate, there’s none of the VA note that was aromatically there with each subsequent sip, and even in mild forms, I’m there for it. A mellow drinker for summer evenings on the porch watching the sunset.

In a nutshell: If this is how bittersweet cider apples display themselves in US cider – count me in! Let’s hope Felix and Aga can get some more cases of Andy’s cider in to the Fine Cider Company this year.

Conclusion

We all know perry can be a tricky artform to get right, let alone master, so I’m very willing to give Sobremesa more tries, different vintages, different production styles. They’ll get there I’m sure, in fact I see they’re expanding their operations this year, which is a brilliant vote of confidence in the future. That Gin perry was a tad too acetic for my palate and my stomach, and the Winnal’s Longdon felt like the variety I know and love, but somewhat veiled. Wilding’s Moorcroft is one of those bottles that you could probably tuck away for a good 5 – 10 years and it would still come out tasting fantastic then – I wonder if a bit more effervescence in the presentation style would help its ageing? Something tells me these bottles will not hang around for long on the shelves. McIntosh alongside Fish & Chips is something I must try, and if some more Bauman’s makes it over here, there’s a Friday evening meal with that bottle’s name on it! And to get to try a Bittersweet-blend, US-style, from Aaron Burr Cidery, well, what a splendid thing to add to the list of amazing cider experiences for 2026. All in all, a good haul, and the memory of London Cider Salon 2026 lingers that much longer thanks to it. Now it’s time to get through the rest of this scorching summer and start to think about harvest time once more!