1785 Cider Perry Cuvée 2020

After a short summer break, I’m back with new cider and perry reviews. Tonight, I”m very excited to be able to share with you a review of a perry made by Patrick and Wendy of 1785 Cider based in Unterkirnach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The 1785 Cider Perry Cuvée 2020 received Silver in the Cider World Awards 2021 in the category Sparkling Cider flavored and mixed. Previously, I sampled their cider Brut 2020.

Company: 1785 Cider
Place of Origin: Unterkirnach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Pears : a blend of five Perry pear varieties: Schweizer Wasserbirne, Oberösterreicher Weinbirne and three unidentified perry pears.
Sweetness as per label: brut
ABV: 7%
Package type: 750ml green glass bottle with crown cork
Recommended type of glass: white wine glass or tumbler

Appearance: pours a cloudy pale golden. The carbonation is strong and natural. There is a foam that reduces slowly to a ring. Body is medium.

Aroma/Nose: the nose is strong and fruity with notes of yellow apple, wood, pear stalks in particular with a touch of funk.

Taste: it begins lightly sweet with a touch of acidity of lemon. On the mid-palate, very strong astringency, ripe, juicy pear, wood, low bitterness with a not of bubble gum vinous note. Finishes dry with a touch of alcohol, caramel and coffee.

Overall: After trying so many perrys made in Germany from local perry pear varieties, I can only tell that locally grown perry pear varieties are really something and make a fantastic perry. They are highly loaded with tannin, which makes these this fruit simply perfect for making perry. So there is no surprise that Perry Cuvée 2020 made by Patrick in Wendy of 1786 Cider is really a pleasant beverage. The nose is strong although I must say I didn’t get many notes on the nose but perhaps they were simply covered. The taste is rich and long-lasting and make you discover new notes while you’re sipping it. Typically for perry, there is some sweetness to it with a very low acidity but I thought it was nicely balanced so you can sip it without getting tired of it and no disturbing notes at all. Even the taste of alcohol towards the end was not disturbing in my opinion. Overall, the 1786 Cider Perry Cuvée 2020 was pleasant to drink but still I think it can be even better, richer. Anyway, I would drink it again. Nice job, Patrick and Wendy! 4.5/6

Availability: from their online shop. In Amsterdam, locally and online from Appels & Peren.

Price: Patrick provided me with a sample.