All posts tagged: cider awards

International Cider Challenge results 2010

2 Comments 27th September 2010

The results of the International Cider Challenge 2010 are in. This is the first year of the competition and it attracted over a hundred entries.

Drinks International recruited a panel of cider experts to blind taste the ciders, which were then awarded trophies and medals.

The overall trophy winner was Merrydown Medium Cider. Judges were Simon Russell from Inside Media, Helen Thomas from Westons Cider, David Sheppy from Sheppy’s Cider, drinks journalist Guy Thornton, cider historian James Crowden and PR consultant Deborah Collinson.

Chairman of the judges and Drinks International editor Christian Davis said: “We had cider from all over the world, including Czech Republic, US, South Africa and Canada. We were really pleased to have such a good response – especially from an international perspective. People think cider is an English drink but the competition demonstrates that it’s truly international.

“There’s a real sense of community in the cider industry and there is a need for this sort of competition. Judges regarded competitors’ products in a very positive way and I think the competition was appreciated by the cider community.”

If you can try and track down some of these fine international award winning ciders!

Results:

Trophy Winner

Merrydown Medium Cider

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Best in Category

Sweet Cider Premium

Westons Oak Conditioned Medium Sweet

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Medium Cider – Mainstream

Mercury Artisan Cider

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Medium Cider – Premium

Merrydown Medium Cider

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Medium Cider – Super Premium

Stassen Excellence

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Dry Cider – Premium

Waitrose Organic Vintage Cider

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Perry/ Pear Cider Premium

Hogan’s Vintage Perry 2009

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Organic, Fruit Cider and Specialities Premium

M&S Cider with Raspberry

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Organic, Fruit Cider and Specialities Super Premium

Domaine Pinnacle Ice Cider

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Gold Winners

Neige Premiere, Ice Cider

Gaymers Stewley

Merrydown Medium Cider

Waitrose Organic Vintage Cider

Domaine Pinnacle Ice Cider

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Silver Winners

Maddens Mellow Armagh Cider

Westons Oak Conditioned Medium Sweet

Mercury Artisan

The Orchard Pig Medium 6.5%abv

Gaymers Newton Vale

Henry Weston Vintage 2009 Cider

Strongbow Clear

Woodgate Dry Amber Cider

Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Suffolk Cyder

Hogan’s Vintage Perry 2009

Autumn Harvest Perry

Aspall Organic Suffolk Cyder

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Bronze Winners

Kopparberg with Mixed Fruit

Kopparberg with Elderflower and Lime

Churchwards Original Cider

Strongbow Original

Mercury Draught

Brothers Bittersweet Apple Cider

Carsons Crisp Armagh Cider

Addlestones

Mad Apple

Autumn Harvest Cider

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference French Sparkling Cider

Aspall Draught Suffolk Cyder

Stassen Excellence

Tillington Hill

Waitrose Leckford Vintage Cider

Westons Oak Conditioned Medium Dry

M&S Vintage 2009 Cider

Merrydown Dry Cider

L’aunay Cidre 3yr old Brut Sparkling Champagne style

Aspall Premier Cru

Bulmers Pear

M&S Vintage Pear Cider

Katy Rose

Aspall Peronelle’s Blush

Biddenden Special Reserve

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Commended Winners

Bulmers Original

The Orchard Pig Medium 4.2%abv

Thatchers Gold

Friels

Gaymer’s Devon

Gaymer’s Somerset

Morrisons The Best Vintage

Westons Oak Conditioned Extra Dry

Orchard Hills Pear Cider

Stassen Cider-Pear

Biddenden Monks Delight

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Design & Packaging

Gold Winners

Domaine Pinnacle Ice Cider New

Carsons Crisp Armagh Cider

Thatchers Gold

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Silver Winners

Green Goblin

Hogan’s Vintage Perry 2009

Tillington Hill

Autumn Harvest Cider

Maddens Mellow Armagh Cider

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Bronze Winners

Stassen Excellence

Brothers Bittersweet Apple Cider New

Stassen Cider-Apple New

Stassen Cider-Pear New

Brothers Tutti Frutti Cider New

Friels New

Strongbow Original

Strongbow Clear

Merrydown Medium Cider

Links of the month – July

Off 25th July 2010

Here is our regular monthly collection of cider links, from newspapers, food web sites that we find with interesting content, and  articles that appear in our RSS feed tagged “Cider”

These articles are hand picked issues and topics that are of interest to cider producers, publicans and cider fans.

Here are July’s collection:

Links of the month – June

Off 30th June 2010

Here is our regular monthly collection of cider links, from newspapers, food web sites that we find with interesting content, and  articles that appear in our RSS feed tagged “Cider”

These articles are hand picked issues and topics that are of interest to cider producers, publicans and cider fans.

Here are June’s collection:

Bath and West 2010 News

International Cider & Perry Competition 2010

Off 13th May 2010

CiderCompetitionWe’ve had the regional cider and perry award, then the National Cider and Perry Awards, now we have the results for the largest cider award of the year.

The results of the International Cider & Perry Competition held at the Cider Museum in Hereford on Wednesday 12th May 2010 are as follows.

The judges were:

Mr. John Thatcher of Thatchers Cider;
Mr. James Crowden, Author & Poet and
Mr. Nicholas Bulmer, Master Distiller.

A total of 110 entries were received from 30 cidermakers from throughout the United Kingdom.

Overall Champion  – Gwynt-y-Ddraig Cider, Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan (Medium Cider)

Class 1 – Dry Cider

  1. H. Weston & Sons Ltd., Much Marcle, Herefordshire
  2. Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Co. Ltd., Peterstow, Herefordshire
  3. Mr. Stuart Cooper, Checkley, Hereford

Class 2 – Medium Cider

  1. Gwynt-y-Ddraig Welsh Cider & Perry Co., Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan
  2. Gwatkin Cider Co. Ltd., Abbey Dore, Herefordshire
  3. The Amazing Cider Company, Kynaston, Ledbury, Herefordshire

Class 3 – Sweet Cider

  1. Gwatkin Cider Co. Ltd., Abbey Dore, Herefordshire
  2. Rosie’s Triple D Cider, Llandegla, Wrexham, Denbighshire
  3. Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Co Ltd, Peterstow, Herefordshire

Class 4 – Perry

  1. Joint First Burrow Hill Cider, Martock, Somerset & Gwatkin Cider Co. Ltd., Abbey Dore, Herefordshire
  2. H. Weston & Sons Ltd., Much Marcle, Herefordshire

Class 5 – Single Variety Cider

  • No prizes awarded.

Class 6 – In-Bottle Fermented Cider or Perry

  1. Joint First Oliver’s Cider & Perry Ltd, Ocle Pychard, Herefordshire & Once Upon A Tree, Putley, Ledbury, Herefordshire

Class 7 – Best Presented Packaged Cider or Perry

  1. Ashridge Cider, Totnes, Devon
  2. Oliver’s Cider & Perry Ltd, Ocle Pychard, Herefordshire
  3. Gwynt-y-Ddraig Cider, Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan

Want to know what the terms and conditions are for entering such a prestigious award?

CONDITIONS
1. All entries to be Cider or Perry, made from not less than 75% cider apples or
perry pears, which must be naturally matured.  Addition of sulphur dioxide is
permitted.  Cider and Perry may be sweetened with sugar only.
2. Not more than 1 entry per class per entrant permitted.
3. Entries for Classes 1-5 to be presented in one-gallon clear glass demijohns,
bearing a tie-on label stating name and class number. Entries for Class 5 to
state the variety of apple used. In all cases corks only should be used but not
wired down. Entries may, if necessary, be submitted in bottles to be decanted
into demijohns on the day of the judging.  In this case, sufficient bottles must
be supplied to provide approximately 4.5 litres of product.
4. Class 6 entries to be contained in bottles with tie-on label.  Corks should be
wired down and bottles should conform to safety standards i.e. toughened
glass, with a punt (e.g. Champagne-type bottle).  Entries with crown caps will
NOT be accepted.
5. Class 7 entries to be presented in retail dress (contained in bottles,
capped/corked and labelled, or contained in cans) to be judged on presentation
only.
6. All entry forms and fees must be received by the Cider Museum by 4th
May 2010.
7. Entries to be delivered to the Cider Museum, 21 Ryelands Street, Hereford by
12 noon on Tuesday, 11th May 2010.  No late entries will be accepted.
N.B.  Overseas entries to be submitted ‘duty paid’.
8. Cider and Perry must be the product of the entrant and not obtained from
elsewhere.
9. The Judges’ decision will be final.
10. The Judges reserve the right not to award a prize or certificate if, for example,
it is considered that the entries do not meet the required standard.
N.B.  It is requested that Prize Exhibits should remain on display at the Museum until
Tuesday, 18th May 2010.
All other cider and perry to be collected from the Museum by 5.00 pm on Wednesday
12th May 2010. Entries remaining after that date will be disposed of at the discretion
of the Museum Director.
  1. All entries to be Cider or Perry, made from not less than 75% cider apples or perry pears, which must be naturally matured.  Addition of sulphur dioxide is permitted.  Cider and Perry may be sweetened with sugar only.
  2. Not more than 1 entry per class per entrant permitted.
  3. Entries for Classes 1-5 to be presented in one-gallon clear glass demijohns, bearing a tie-on label stating name and class number. Entries for Class 5 to state the variety of apple used. In all cases corks only should be used but not wired down. Entries may, if necessary, be submitted in bottles to be decanted into demijohns on the day of the judging.  In this case, sufficient bottles must be supplied to provide approximately 4.5 litres of product.
  4. Class 6 entries to be contained in bottles with tie-on label.  Corks should be wired down and bottles should conform to safety standards i.e. toughened glass, with a punt (e.g. Champagne-type bottle).  Entries with crown caps will NOT be accepted.
  5. Class 7 entries to be presented in retail dress (contained in bottles, capped/corked and labelled, or contained in cans) to be judged on presentation only.
  6. Cider and Perry must be the product of the entrant and not obtained from elsewhere.
  7. The Judges’ decision will be final.
  8. The Judges reserve the right not to award a prize or certificate if, for example, it is considered that the entries do not meet the required standard.

The Big Apple Cider and Perry Trials 2010

Off 5th May 2010

The annual Cider and Perry Trials held at Putley Village Hall have become an important fixture in the calendars of craft cider and perry producers in the Herefordshire region.

This is a peer-judged event with all the judging carried out by the entrants in a series of blind tastings.

There are categories for both draught and bottled ciders and perries and the public is invited to taste the entries over the two days following the trials.

In 2010 the event took place on Saturday, 1st May at Putley Village Hall as usual with 160 draught and 24 bottled entries from 70 entrants.

Bottle Conditioned/Fermented Perry

  • 1st Olivers Cider & Perry
  • 2nd Gabe CookJoint
  • 3rd Barkers

Bottle Conditioned/Fermented Cider

  • 1st Newton’s Cider & Perry
  • 2nd Olivers Cider & Perry
  • 3rd John Edwards

Draught Dry Cider

  • 1st Stuart Cooper
  • 2nd James Marsden
  • 3rd The Amazing Cider Company

Draught Medium Cider

  • 1st James Marsden – Gregg’s Pit
  • 2nd Ross-On-Wye Cider & Perry
  • 3rd The Amazing Cider Company

Draught Sweet Cider

  • 1st Palmers Upland Cider
  • 2nd Geoff Newman
  • 3rd Blaengawney Cider

Novice Cider

  • 1st Raglan Cider Mill
  • 2nd Pucklechurch Cider Company (O. Deakin)
  • 3rd Kate Morgan

Draught Dry Perry

  • 1st Matthew & Paul Holder
  • 2nd John Edwards
  • 3rd Ralph’s Cider & Perry

Draught Medium/Sweet Perry

  • 1st James Marsden – Gregg’s Pit
  • 2nd Little Cider Press Co
  • Joint 3rd Geoff Newman
  • Joint 3rd Ralph’s Cider & Perry

Novice Perry

  • 1st Richard Walker
  • 2nd Fred Meredith
  • 3rd Repudglic

More details on the Big Apple Cider and Perry trials 2010 – www.bigapple.org.uk

Download a full list of winners (PDF) with judges scores.

Images of cider awards

View more at the Real Cider gallery.

Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition Results

Off 15th December 2009

There have been awards for cider makers both sides of the pond this week, with the Fifth annual Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition taking place.

Congratulations to Snowdrift Cider who are the newest cider producers in America, even so their cider brought home two medals a bronze in the English Style, and a gold in the New England Style category.

As well as our friends at Eden Ice Cider who won both gold and silver with their blends in the Intensified Cider & Perry category.

There were also a good representation of English cider makers, Henneys, Olivers, Aspall, and Weston‘s all winning awards.

Here are the results that include English cider makers:

Category 27b – English Cider (10 Entries)
Gold – Westcott Bay Cider Westcott Bay, Traditional Dry Cider, Friday Harbor, WA
Silver – Westcott Bay Cider, Westcott Bay Traditional Very Dry Cider, Friday Harbor, WA
Silver – Henney’s Cider Co., Frome Valley Sweet, Herefordshire, England
Silver – Oliver’s Cider House, Hereforshire Medium Cider, Herefordshire, England
Bronze – Aspall Cyders, Aspall Dry Cider, Suffolk, England
Bronze – Aspall Cyders, Aspall Medium Cider, Suffolk, England
Bronze – Oliver’s Cider House, Herefordshire Dry Cider, Herefordshire, England
Bronze – Henney’s Cider Co., Vintage, Herefordshire, England
Category 27e – Traditional Perry (2 Entries)
Silver – Oliver’s Cider House, Herefordshire Dry Perry, Herefordshire, England
Bronze – Oliver’s Cider House, Blakeney Red Perry, Herefordshire, England
Category 2006-1 Macro Cider (8 Entries)
Silver – H.Weston and Sons Ltd., Old Rosie Cloudy Scrumpy, Herefordshire, England
Silver – Green Mountian Beverage, Woodchuck Draft Cider – Amber, Middlebury, VT
Silver – Green Mountian Beverage, Woodchuck Draft Cider – Oak Aged, Middlebury, VT
Silver – Green Mountian Beverage, Strongbow, Middlebury, VT
Silver – Green Mountian Beverage, Woodchuck Draft Cider – Granny Smith, Middlebury, VT
Silver – H.Weston and Sons Ltd., Stowford Press Medium Dry Draft, Herefordshire, England
Silver – Green Mountian Beverage, Wyder’s Pear Cider, Middlebury, VT
Silver – Original Sin, Original Sin Pear Cider, New York, NY

English Cider (10 Entries)

  • Gold – Westcott Bay Cider Westcott Bay, Traditional Dry Cider, Friday Harbor, WA
    Silver – Westcott Bay Cider, Westcott Bay Traditional Very Dry Cider, Friday Harbor, WA
  • Silver – Henney’s Cider Co., Frome Valley Sweet, Herefordshire, England
  • Silver – Oliver’s Cider House, Hereforshire Medium Cider, Herefordshire, England
  • Bronze – Aspall Cyders, Aspall Dry Cider, Suffolk, England
  • Bronze – Aspall Cyders, Aspall Medium Cider, Suffolk, England
  • Bronze – Oliver’s Cider House, Herefordshire Dry Cider, Herefordshire, England
  • Bronze – Henney’s Cider Co., Vintage, Herefordshire, England

Traditional Perry (2 Entries)

  • Silver – Oliver’s Cider House, Herefordshire Dry Perry, Herefordshire, England
  • Bronze – Oliver’s Cider House, Blakeney Red Perry, Herefordshire, England

Notes on the above categories – Apple or pear only, fermented from single strength juice, with standard cellar treatments

Macro Cider (8 Entries)

  • Silver – H.Weston and Sons Ltd., Old Rosie Cloudy Scrumpy, Herefordshire, England
  • Silver – H.Weston and Sons Ltd., Stowford Press Medium Dry Draft, Herefordshire, England

Notes on this category – for ciders or perries that aim to be standard in style but do not wish to be constrained by ingredient requirements

The full results are on Old Time Cider web site.

As Dave from the old time site says “I urge you all to pick up any of these ciders on the list or even any local craft cider you can find”.

Here, here! Congratulations to all the winners and all the entrants. We look forward to seeing lots more entries next year. In the meantime, keep up the excellent work cider makers!