I suppose this has been a long time coming. I have been advocating wine-like cider for many years. Since 2009, I have had the privilege of developing working relationships with some of the most endeared names in the cider industry. I have tasted some amazing ciders and I truly believe this end of the cider category can be featured and revered in the same way as wine. In the future, this space will feature reviews of specific ciders that bear characteristics I feel are worth exploring, discussion of how cider can hold it's own with wine and how cider apples hold similar characteristics to wine grapes (e.g. terroir). There will be no judgment of ciders that do not embrace these features. Cider is an alcohol category with a wide range of products. Just as there are sweet wines, there are sweet ciders. There are people who like these and there is no perceived right or wrongness to their choice. Just as with any alcoholic beverage, what is "good" is really up to your palate and what you like. My idea is that ciders made in a certain manner can feature the apples and terrain that embody their origin. I like my ciders dry, acidic, tannic and, most importantly, balanced. I like them to be free from influence of yeast, hop or any other product that may detract from the flavor of the apples. I arrived in Baltimore today for CiderCon 2018 very excited about the current and future state of cider. There are so many wonderful ciders and cider makers in town with so much to share about how we will all shape the cider category to come. I look forward to what that may be and hope to contribute to shape that in some small way. Your comments, provided they are without judgment or prejudice, will always be welcome. Until my next post, I am your wine-like cider humble servant, John Hoyos
