International Cider Challenge 2013 results

19 June, 2013

A private dining room with large sash windows that sits above the White Horse pub in west London has become a microcosm for the global cider industry in recent years.

Until 2010, cider was an afterthought, tagged on to the end of the International Beer Challenge.

But in recent years its popularity has exploded – fuelled by the Magners over-ice revolution and heavy marketing investment from emerging brands – and the shelf space it is afforded has shot up.

Four years ago the decision was taken to make the International Cider Challenge a competition in its own right and judges tasted 100 of the best ciders the world had to offer.

Every year the standard has improved, as producers invest more and more in a category that has broken beer’s stranglehold on the market, and the number of entries has steadily risen.

This year judges were dazzled by the consistent quality of the 149 entries we received.

Many came from cider’s spiritual home, the West Country, and persistent pretenders to the throne, Ireland and France, but entries also arrived from as far afield as Australia, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden.

The blind tasting judging panel was made up of independent retailers, supermarket buyers, producers, flavour experts and journalists, and the high-ceilinged room above the Victorian pub became a hive of activity as they pushed their palates to the limit to tease out the greatest ciders in the world.

International Cider Challenge 2013

“The standard has really gone up since last year and I was impressed by the consistent quality of the ciders,” said Louise Smith, owner of The Jug and Bottle in Yorkshire.

Last year a solitary gold medal was handed out, to Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference French sparkling cider, along with 11 silvers.

This time around, the equally demanding judges gave out 13 golds and 30 silvers.

The West Country was upstaged by France as Cidre Bigoud’s Artisanal Le Brun Organic, and La Face Cachee De La Pomme’s Neige Premiere 2010 joined Danish supplier Cold Hand Winery’s Malus X in winning trophies for ciders of exceptional quality.

But traditional producers enjoyed a good showing in the gold medal category, notably Westons picking up golds for its Wyld Wood organic cider and the English vintage cider it produces for Sainsbury’s.

For the first time a fruit cider – Rekorderlig strawberry-lime – scooped a gold, reflecting the phenomenal improvement the category has seen since it became one of the fastest-growing markets in the UK off-trade.

Gareth Roots, cider buyer at Sainsbury’s, said: “It’s amazing the amount of variants there are of fruit cider. There are really good ones now. There’s innovation in fruit cider and Rekorderlig has done well. There are so many flavours and it’s still in its infancy.”

Oliver W, Waitrose buyer, added: “Some of the super-premium and organic ciders were outstanding.

“It’s great to have such a strong mix of people judging things – all bases were covered. It was a great opportunity to try the whole spectrum of ciders.”

Rosie Norwood, owner of Favourite Beers in Cheltenham, joined the panel for her first-ever competition after scooping Independent Cider Retailer at the Drinks Retailing Awards 2013.

She said: “There were some outstanding ciders. I tasted many that I would like to add to our range.”

The judges agreed that cider sales will pick up now that the spring’s bad weather is behind us, and that the quality of the bottles on shelves will improve as the market grows and becomes increasingly competitive.

Next year the challenge will celebrate its fifth anniversary, and we can rest assured that cider producers from Sweden to Somerset are fighting tooth and nail to impress our exacting panel of industry legends, opinion-formers and leading retailers with another round of sensational ciders.

Full list of winners:

Trophy:

Cidre Bigoud	Cidre Artisanal Le Brun Organic
Cold Hand Winery	Malus X - Feminam
La Face Cachee De La Pomme	Neige Premiere 2010, Apple Ice Wine

Gold:

Bulmer Harvest Ltd	Scrumpy Apple
Chilli Marketing	Rekordeling Apple Cider
Chilli Marketing	Rekordeling Strawberry - Lime Cider
Dunkertons Cider Co	Dunkertons Black Fox
Dunkertons Cider Co	Dunkertons Premium
Fynsbury's Rutland Cider	Fynsbury's Rutland Cider (Still)
Les Celliers Associes	Sainsbury's Taste the Difference
Sheppys Cider Ltd	Oak Matured Vintage
Westons Cider	Sainsbury's English Vintage Cider
Westons Cider	Wyld Wood Organic Cider

Silver:

Aspall	2012 Vintage Imperial Cyder
Aspall	Organic Suffolk Cyder
Biddenden Vineyards	Biddenden Sparkling Cider
Brands Direct	Devon Farmhouse Cider
Brands Direct	Hazerdine Orchard Herefordshire Vintage Cider
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Bulmers Original
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Dirty Granny
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Strongbow Raspberry and Strawberry
Cidre Bigoud	Cidre Fermier or et Ange
Cold Hand Winery	Malus Danica
Cold Hand Winery	Malus X - Masculine
County Cider Company	Waupoos Premium Cider
Ets Guillet Freres	Kerisac Cuvee Special - Brut
Ets Guillet Freres	Kerisac Cuvee Special -Doux
Ets Guillet Freres	Kerisac Poire
Healey's Cider	Healey's Classic Rum Reserved
Henney's Cider Co	Henney's Dry Cider
Hogan's Cider Ltd	Hogan's Medium Cider
Hogan's Cider Ltd	Hogan's Vintage Perry 2010
Les Celliers Associes	Val de Rance Cidre Traditionnel Brut
McCashins Brewery	Rochdale Traditional Apple
McCashins Brewery	Saxton Apple Cider
Orchard Pig	Truffler
Sandford Orchards	Devon Red
SHS Drinks	Merrydown Vintage Cider + Black
SHS Drinks	Merrydown Vintage Medium
The Cooperative Food	Tillington Hills Premium Cider
Waitrose	Waitrose Herefordshire Cider
Westons Cider	Asda Extra Special Vintage
Westons Cider	Henry Westons Vintage
Westons Cider	Old Rosie

Bronze:

Ampleforth Abbey	Ampleforth Abbey Cider
Ampleforth Abbey	Ampleforth Abbey Premium Cider
Armagh Cider Company	Carsons Crisp Cider
Armagh Cider Company	Maddens - Orchard Bramble
Aspall	Cuvee Chevallier
Aspall	Pipsqueak Best Cider
Aspall	Premier Cru Suffolk Cyder
Aspall	Taste the Difference Elderflower Cyder
Aspall	Taste the Difference Suffolk Cyder
Bulmer Harvest Ltd	Harvest Apple
Bulmer Harvest Ltd	Harvest Pear
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Bulmers Ginger
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Bulmers Pear
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Mercury Draught
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Strongbow Clear
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Strongbow Mango and Passionfruit
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Strongbow Original
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Strongbow Pear
C.U.B. (Carlton United Breweries Ltd)	Strongbow Strawberry and Kiwi
CCLF	Ecusson Cidre Rose
Chilli Marketing	Rekordeling Passionfruit Cider
Chilli Marketing	Rekordeling Pear Cider
Chilli Marketing	Rekordeling Winter Cider
Cidre Bigoud	Cidre Artisanal Le Brun Brut
Cidre Bigoud	Cidre Artisanal Le Brun DemiSec
Cidre Bigoud	Cidre Artisanal Le Brun Doux
Cold Hand Winery	Malus Unica
CSR	Cidraie
Elixir Signature Pty Ltd	Apple Head
Elixir Signature Pty Ltd	Apple Head
Fynsbury's Rutland Cider	Fynsbury's Rutland Cider (Naturally Sparkling)
Healey's Cider	Healey's Classic Oak - Matured
Healey's Cider	Rattler Original
Les Celliers Associes	Bolee Celte Brut
Lidl	Churchwards Original Cider
Lidl	Churchwards Pear Cider
Lidl	Woodgate Dry Amber Cider
Lidl	Woodgate Dry Amber Cider
Lidl	Woodgate Pear Cider
Lidl	Woodgate Pear Cider
McCashins Brewery	Rochdale Ginger Lime Cider
McCashins Brewery	Rochdale Perry Cider
McCashins Brewery	Saxton Pear Cider
Orchard Pig	Charmer
Real Ale Ltd	M&S Breton Cider
Redwood Cider Co	Old Mout Boysen Cider
Redwood Cider Co	Old Mout Cranberry & Cider
Sandford Orchards	Fanny's Bramble
Sheppys Cider Ltd	Kingston Black
Thatchers Cider Co	Tesco Finest Single Orchard
Thatchers Cider Co	Thatchers Gold
Thatchers Cider Co	Thatchers Katy
Thatchers Cider Co	Thatchers Mixed Fruit
Thatchers Cider Co	Thatchers Pear
Thatchers Cider Co	Thatchers Prince William
Thatchers Cider Co	Thatchers Vintage 2011
VOK Beverages	Three Oaks Cider Dry
VOK Beverages	Three Oaks Cider Original
VOK Beverages	Three Oaks Cider Sweet
Waitrose	Waitrose Cidre de Normandie
Westons Cider	Henry Westons
Westons Cider	Henry Westons Vintage Perry
Westons Cider	Sainsbury's Low Alcohol English Cider

Shoppers first enticed to cider by the likes of Magners are becoming increasingly experimental and producers’ NPD departments have gone into overdrive in an effort to keep up.

This has led to shelves packed with an overwhelming range of bottles and cans from around the world, meaning design and packaging is now more important than ever to capture a busy shopper’s imagination.

Our expert panel of judges felt suppliers truly went the extra mile this year and handed out four gold medals, eight silvers and 11 bronze awards.

Those that scooped the top award featured bold, elegant and eye-catching packaging that clearly communicated the message behind the brand.

Judges agreed the overall standard had greatly improved, as leading producers continued to innovate and smaller suppliers invested in order to compete, pointing to a healthy future for cider.

Design and packaging winners:

Gold

Cold Hand Winery	Malus Danica
Ampleforth Abbey	Ampleforth Abbey Premium Cider
B1 - Marct D.O.O	Big Shot
Aspall	Harry Sparrow Cyder

Silver:

McCashins Brewery	Rochdale Traditional Apple
Cold Hand Winery	Malus X - Feminam
County Cider Company	A Tortured Path Cider
Thatchers Cider Co.	Thatchers Mixed Fruit
Cidre Bigoud	Cidre or et Ange
Sheppys Cider Ltd	Oak Matured Vintage
Waitrose	Waitrose Herefordshire Cider
Waitrose	Waitrose Cidre de Normandie

Bronze:

McCashins Brewery	Saxton Apple Cider
Thatchers Cider Co.	Thatchers Vintage 2011
Hogan's Cider Ltd	Hogan's Medium Cider
Cold Hand Winery	Malus Unica
Sandford Orchards	Devon Red
Dunkertons Cider Co	Dunkertons Black Fox
Chilli Marketing	Rekordeling Passionfruit Cider
Elixir Signature Pty Ltd	Apple Head
Elixir Signature Pty Ltd	Apple Head
Hogan's Cider Ltd	Hogan's Vintage Perry 2010
Healey's Cider	Rattler Original