Cider Review

Back in late September 2026 I spent three days in a large tent in the Malvern Showground. But this was no ordinary tent and no ordinary showground – this was the Orchard & Hopyard Pavillion Theatre (tent) situated in the Malvern Autumn Show. If you’re not knee-deep in harvest in September, this is a great event to visit. I did a write-up of the event last year in fact for these very pages. There’s Jim Chapman’s awe-inspiring display of perry pears, a plethora of perry-makers selling their wares, and the results of the International Perry Pear Competition are announced here too. I hosted talks with the Gloucestershire Orchard Trust, various family members from the Frank P Matthews tree nursery, alongside some fireside chats with perrymakers in the tent. There’s something quite profound about it all, being there in that space, with those particular makers, at this moment in time. Climate change was definitely a topic that was carried across many talks, with the incredibly hot summer and early autumn we had just experienced, leading to varying ideas about resilience in the face of weather conditions across summer that only seem to be getting warmer and drier. I think I now prefer the Malvern Autumn Show to the Malvern Summer Show, as the earlier one is now just too hot to comfortably enjoy. Temperatures were much more clement in late September!

I had seen a few new bottles from Phill at 99 Pines over at the Independent Republic of Jolter earlier on in the year, when forest fires and middle eastern temperatures were all the rage in July and August in the Forest of Dean. I bought those from Pat then, with a view to do an article for Cider Review, but little did I know that Phil would have a whole other range of releases on sale at the Malvern Autumn Show too. I duly purchased a box on Day 1 of the show and collated them all together for the purposes of this review today. There was one that “got away”, the single variety Ciphrous perry, that we shared with audiences in our Fireside Chats over three days, and which seemed to go down very well. Although written of quite disparagingly or dismissively as “useless” in historical references in Charles Martell’s book on Gloucestershire Perry Pears, this variety must love the temperatures we’re experiencing of late in the UK, because the resulting perry tasted delicious! Alas, they were only 330ml bottles, and they all went in our tastings, so none to review here, but one to look out for from Phil in the future.

This year on Jim’s perry pear display, there were also some curious newly named/newly discovered varieties I’d not seen before! Shoot (a great name!), from the hedgerows around Hartpury, where Jim had collected the fruit and scionwood from in previous years (there’s a clay-pigeon shooting range in the opposite field). Dead Dog, I didn’t get the history of this variety, but I assume it involves an unlucky, and subsequently very deceased pooch. And Romanian Perry Pear, which I understand Charles brought back from a trip to Romania many years ago and is growing well here now at Hartpury. Just three of many varieties on show, all looking for future champions of their cause and a chance to grow in orchards up and down the country. Could you be the next advocate for Shoot or Dead Dog? Scionwood, as you’ll see from my chat with Phil below, is available over winter from the National Perry Pear Centre! Speaking of champions of the cause, time for a chat with Phil from 99 Pines!

Cider Review: Do you feel a weight of responsibility on your shoulders producing this range of single variety perries? A lot of them haven’t been seen as single varieties for decades, if not a century, and you’re the one who gets to release a recent vintage on to the market, how does that feel?

Phil Kester: I think it would be unjust of me as the resident perrymaker at Hartpury and I didn’t take records of what I was making. I am creating spreadsheets recording whether they’re early/mid/late season varieties, recording tasting notes and quality of the juice. It’s also really exciting that I have almost exclusive access to the collections at Hartpury and the Malvern Showground. In those two sites are going to be some really undiscovered/under-utilised varieties. We know that Albert at Ross on Wye Cider & Perry Company loves his Flakey Bark single varieties, I think there have to be more varieties out there that have yet to discover their audience. Last year for instance, the 2025 season, a variety called Ciphrous (careful how you say it), arguably a dessert pear from Westbury-on-Severn in the Forest of Dean, produced a really nice, sweet, crisp perry. A little bit nosey, but the taste was fantastic. Another variety that stood out to me was Potato Pear, I made a dozen bottles last year, it made a really beautiful, well-rounded perry. There is a level of responsibility being at Hartpury, but that is far outweighed by the opportunity to rediscover these exciting old varieties.

CR: For the Balloonists Blend, I’m aware of Blakeney Red and Pint, can you tell us a bit more about the mystery pear that appears in that triple blend? Has it been DNA tested yet?

PK: At the time of making that blend I didn’t know what it was… but I think I do have a good idea now. This year the fruit looked really similar to Gin and it’s planted right next to a tree that I know is a Gin pear, in an orchard with a load of Gin trees in it. So, I think it’s a seedling of Gin. There’s no graft line on the tree, so I think it’s a tree which has grown up in that orchard next to some grafted Gin trees that have dropped their fruit and this seedling has grown up to a full tree size. The orchard that the fruit came from is owned by an air balloonist, hence the name.

CR: Where did the fruit for the Jenkins Red 2025 perry come from? Was it Hartpury or older trees elsewhere? What’s your thoughts on this variety now you’ve had a chance to make a perry from it?

PK: I think I made Jenkins Red in almost every year other than 2026 when the trees had an off-year. It’s one of my favourites. A special perry that’s pretty bold, with some tannins, but not off-the-scale tannins. Predominantly it’s from a single tree in Tawnies Orchard, Oxenhall in Gloucestershire, which is featured in the Luckwill & Pollard 1960s Perry Pears book. Not that particular tree, but the farm itself features in there a number of times. It’s near Three Choirs vineyard in Newent. The tree is really tall and spindly, it produces a beautiful drink. There’s another couple of trees in the collection that I pick from for this release, but 90% of the fruit comes from that one old tree.

CR: For the Hartpury Green 2025 perry, you must feel very proud of how it’s turned out considering the special significance of the variety to Jim Chapman, who is based in Hartpury. What does it mean to make a single variety Hartpury Green perry and will you be trying to do this annually?

PK: Hartpury Green, I last made one in 2023 and then 2025. 2023 was a tiny batch, only a few litres of super clear juice. In 2025 I upped that to around 60 litres and the juice wasn’t so clear, but not bad. A really nice taste, crisp and acidic. A vinous type perry. I’m proud of that as it’s a good quality perry. At Hartpury there are two of each variety as a rule, but Hartpury Green, because of its association with the location of the National Perry Pear Centre, there are a lot more trees of it planted, probably around 10. It’s very much biennial so there was nothing on the trees this year as a result of the large amount last year. Jim setting up the Hartpury Heritage Trust and donating 25 acres to the orchard centre was inspired by people like Charles Martell, but also by this specific variety, the Hartpury Green. So there’s a real nice story behind it and this year he commissioned a local artist to make a sculpture of the Hartpury Green perry pear which is now at the orchard centre.

CR: I think you’re one of two other producers, Ross Cider and Meggy’s Cider, that produce a single variety White Bache. Have you tried their versions to compare and contrast?

PK: I’d never made a perry using this variety before. This 2025 vintage was picked from mainly a single tree at the Malvern Showground, you can actually see the tree when you’re waiting by the traffic lights there. It was a bit of a good story for this tree as in 2024, that particular tree was almost decimated by fireblight. Chris from Ragged Stone, climbed up into the tree, and cut out about a third of the tree (it needed a good prune anyway), we burnt all the affected branches. Low and behold, the following year in 2025, when it was a bumper perry year all round, I’ve never seen so much fruit on a tree! There was so much that the branches were almost touching the ground. We got 200 litres of juice from this one tree, so I put some in bottles as a single variety, and I blended some of it as well with Newbridge. White Bache is a good blender as it can lift a fairly flat perry quite well. We sold most of it at the Malvern Autumn Show this year. I didn’t get a chance to compare a contrast from Albert and John as I think it would be very interesting!

CR: You provide a scionwood service at Hartpury every year, where you can send out or offer for collection little twigs from Hartpury Green, Jenkins Red and the like for folk to graft on in their orchards and back gardens. Do you hope by releasing these as perries it might inspire a few more orchardists to request them and propagate the varieties further?

PK: Yes, we provide a scionwood service which really took off last year, kept us busy throughout winter, and raised some funds for the centre which was great! The trees are pretty young in Harptury, relatively speaking, so we want to control how much comes from each tree, keeping it at a level where we’re still allowing the trees to grow. An example of that is Flakey Bark, because of the success of this variety, there’s a lot of people asking for scions of this variety every year, and we just can’t provide that many. Some people are very selective, they know exactly what they want prior to reaching out. Others ask for our advice so we’re able to pick and choose what varieties that we’ve gone through, that 99 Pines has made into a perry and knows it’s a good variety. As we’re making this wide range of varieties from across the collection, they’re not all going to make good perries. For instance last year I made an Old Holme, it wasn’t that brilliant. This year I’ve made Pine, which looks terrible at the moment, but you never know if it will turn out great. We can rank them, and pick those varieties for people that we think really make the grade. Hartpury Green and Jenkins Red definitely make that list now, along with the more “common” ones like Gin and Winnal’s Longdon.

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My thanks to Phil for answering my questions, onto the reviews of his perries!

99 Pines, Ballonists Blend – review

A blend of Pint, Blakeney Red, and a newly discovered, unnamed variety.

How I served: A day in the fridge then 15 minutes in the sitting room to acclimatise.

Appearance: Straw gold, with a slight haze and good persistent mousse on the top of the liquid which gives it an IPA beer appearance in the glass. Light effervescence.

On the nose: A glorious waft of tropical, estery fruity notes! Freshly cut in half strawberries, papaya, mango, candied pear. Very accessible for newcomers to the wonderful world of perry.

In the mouth: There’s that strawberry jam note I look for in Blakeney Red perry, but the bold acidity of Pint is adding a new dimension to the blend. Very soft tannins at play giving a rounded mouthfeel. That gentle fizz is also giving a great texture to each sip. At 6% abv it carries those flavours really well alongside the inherent alcohol in the liquid. I like the 375ml bottle as a presentation style, allowing for a very welcoming serving style of two small glasses (perfect for sharing with a friend).

In a nutshell: An exemplary showcase of the power of a triple blend with acidity, tropicality, and soft tannins all in harmony. An all-round crowd-pleasing perry.

99 Pines, Jenkin’s Red 2025 – review

How I served: A day in the fridge then 15 minutes sitting room sitting around before popping the cork.

Appearance: Near total clarity to the brushed gold hue, no real mousse after 15 seconds, moderate level of effervescence bubbling up in the glass.

On the nose: A combination of petrichor and vellichor at play here – wet slate, freshly rained upon garden air, and that lovely leather-bound book aroma that is quite present in a number of perries. Little bit of lime rind underneath it all. I have never had a single variety Jenkin’s Red perry so a totally new experience to me.

In the mouth: Herbaceous notes of borage, thyme, and nettle leaves. There’s that lime note again coming through which I’m assuming is a prevalence of citric acid in the variety’s juice. Sitting somewhere alongside Thorn, Pint, and Gin in its flavour profile. 7.2% abv offers up a good snapshot of the SG potential of this variety from a remarkable vintage. Hopefully the chance to try this as a single variety encourages more folk to graft the variety from the library orchard at Hartpury and see how it grows in their local area.

In a nutshell: A zingy little number that serves as a great introduction to this critically rare perry pear variety. Will be fascinating to see different vintages in future years.

99 Pines, White Bache 2025 – review

How I served: A day in the fridge then served after 10 minutes acclimatising in the sitting room.

Appearance: Fresh gold, mousse dissipates very quickly after pouring, moderate effervescence in the glass but in the bottle…woah…it is FIZZING away! Great clarity to the liquid.

On the nose: An interesting lime and pine needle aroma, which I haven’t picked up on many perries before. A hint of melon as the drink rises in temperature.

In the mouth: Key lime pie! Lime, cream, and summer honey in abundance making for a lovely mouthfeel. It’s a light acidity, low to minimal tannin kind of single variety perry that I think I’ve only ever tried from Ross Cider before – great to have another producer on the market offering their version of this perry variety. Even with a creamy flavour, it’s near dry in its sweetness level. 6.9% abv from the 2025 harvest, hinting at a fairly hefty abv from the juice. Do you pronounce it Beech/Bach/Bash/Baaaach? I’ve heard all pronunciations over the last few years. Described as producing a vintage quality perry, very happy to see this back on the market for perry drinkers in 2026 and beyond.

In a nutshell: A versatile vintage variety that can stand on its feet either as a single variety or in a blend.

99 Pines, Hartpury Green 2025 – review

How I served: A day in the fridge, then 15 minutes in the sitting room.

Appearance: Slight hazy copper hue that glows in the glass, near still, no mousse.

On the nose: A tropical tidal bore of pineapple, mango, and papaya. Was not expecting this, although I have never ever tried a single variety Hartpury Green perry, so it’s all up for grabs!

In the mouth: There’s a herbal borage and thyme note at play, alongside the tropicality, that I’ve so far only tried in a single variety Green Longdon. Slight viscosity to the liquid, with a little prickle of acidity, just wish there was a bit more sparkle to this 7.3% abv drink to lift it even more on the palate. With one of the two National Perry Pear Centres in the UK being located in Hartpury, I feel this deserves to be more widely grown and appreciated.

In a nutshell: A herbal, tropical experience of a critically rare perry pear variety. Do yourself a favour, seek it out (graft it too if that’s your thing)!

99 Pines, Barnet 2025 – review

How I served: A day in the fridge and then 15 minutes out in the sitting room.

Appearance: Straw gold, great clarity with no haze whatsoever, very light effervescence that produces a thin, almost oily, tightly constructed mousse on the rim of the glass, like no other perries I’ve tried from 99 Pines.

On the nose: I’ve been impressed by nearly all the Barnet single varieties I’ve tried this past year, and this is no exception. A lovely geraniol and honeysuckle aroma wafting up out of the glass. Very inviting!

In the mouth: What starts as a lemon and lime acidity on the front of the palate very quickly develops to just a tad too much VA for my liking here. There’s only 40 bottles in this small batch release, coming in at 8.1%abv. I’m going to leave it a little in the glass to see if it blows off over time. [10 mins pass]. I can confirm as it warms a bit in the glass and oxygen has gotten to it, that VA note dissipates a bit, but not quite enough for my liking I’m afraid.

In a nutshell: Super small batch Barnet perry that may be a tad too acetic for some palates I’m afraid (Spanish Sidra lovers you’ll be fine).

Conclusions

It’s a great privilege to observe a producer like Phil grow in production size, and inherent knowledge of the fruit he’s working with. It must be such a relief to Jim and Charles that Hartpury and Malvern have him as their resident perrymaker. The number of Piners that volunteer for Phil every year seems to grow and grow. It’s encouraging to see more folk, who may live hundreds of miles away from the Three Counties countryside, give perry pear harvesting a chance, and perhaps discover a passion for it that widens the pool of perry fans further. After being a regular Page 1 resident of Nicky’s Cat In The Glass online bottleshop, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Phil’s bottles on there – I hope that can change in the months to come as it’s great to build the brand all around the UK in this way. For now, these bottles are (or were) available from Pat at the Independent Republic of Jolter in Mitcheldean, and direct from Phil at one of his open days for the 99 Pines bar in the National Perry Pear Centre, Hartpury.

I’m very tempted to graft some Hartpury Green now myself this winter, I have an order of Pyrodwarf Pear rootstock arriving from Frank P Matthews at some time over the incoming gloomy months. There are a few other trees on my list from perry pear safaris with friends this summer, that I’d like to try and grow here in Norfolk. That’s part of the fun of it every year – I’ve had great success here this year with White Longdon and Painted Lady scions from Phil at Hartpury, as well as Bunch from Rob Castle up on May Hill, Wobage Late Treacle from John Teiser, alongside Arlingham Squash and Pint from Matt Smith. Build yourself a community of perry pear buddies and even the darkest, wettest, months of the year will hold something worthwhile in them to keep you occupied and happy!