An old, but very comprehensive guide to finding cider is on the Independent newspaper web site.

Starting off with this statement

The Wurzels couldn’t get enough of it and Julius Caesar liked a tipple, too. Cider may be seen as an English drink, but discovers its appeal stretches from France and Spain to as far afield as South Africa and the US

Where exactly is cider country?

For our purposes, wherever cider’s the traditional tipple. Cider is now made all over the world from Oregon to Cape Town (the cider market in South Africa is the second biggest in the world after the UK). However, to experience traditional cider-making you should head for Herefordshire, Somerset, Normandy in France or Asturias in Spain.

The best place to start is in Somerset

Somerset has the greatest number of registered farmhouse cider-makers in England. Most are found around the fringes of the Levels, a flat land of big skies and big floods wedged between the Mendips, Quantocks and Blackdown Hills. Certain areas produce particularly good cider, and in Somerset these are located around Wedmore, Glastonbury and Martock.

Enter Roger Wilkins

Roger Wilkins. Photo credit: Jonathan Latimer

For a good introduction to traditional Somerset cider, call on Roger Wilkins (01934 712385), whose farm sits on a sheltered slope in Mudgley south of Wedmore. In the business for 45 years, Wilkins is a well-known character among Somerset producers and in his unkempt barn he offers nothing but traditional scrumpy from the barrel (medium or dry). In summer there’s often a gathering of locals enjoying a glass of the deliciously fruity cider while they wait to fill up their containers to take home.

It then goes onto travelling farther afield to look at ciders in France, Spain and America.

Definitely worth a read if you are a newcomer to cider, or if you want to learn more about international ciders. Read the full article