Yes, Spanish cider (sidra) has alcohol: it is a fermented drink. BJCP's guidelines give about 5–6.5% ABV for the traditional Spanish style from Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country. Strength varies by producer, so check the label. In Spain, as in most of Europe, "cider" means the fermented drink, not apple juice.

How do I choose a cidery in Australia?

To choose a cidery in Australia, begin with the 84 cider makers listed on Cider Radar (as of 2026-10-02) and choose a state: Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania have the most. Then check the label, because a drink sold as cider must be fruit wine made from apples, with no more than 25% pear.

How do I choose a cidery in California?

To choose a cidery in California, start with the 77 cider makers listed for the state on Cider Radar (as of 2026-10-02), the third most of any US state, and pick an area: Sonoma County, which its tourism board calls hard cider country, has makers around Sebastopol, with more in Mendocino, the Central Coast, the Sierra foothills and Southern California.

How do I choose a cidery in Ireland?

To choose a cidery in Ireland, start with the 10 Irish cider makers on Cider Radar (as of 2026-10-02) and the 4 in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, then pick by area and apples. Most small makers are in Leinster and Munster, from Dublin and Kilkenny to Cork and Waterford, and Armagh is known for Bramley apples.

How do I choose a cidery in New York State?

To choose a cidery in New York State, begin with the 103 cider makers listed on Cider Radar (as of 2026-10-02), the most of any US state, and pick a region first: the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, Greater Niagara or Long Island. Then decide whether you want a farm cidery using New York apples.

How do I choose a cidery in New Zealand?

To choose a cidery in New Zealand, start with the 14 cider makers on Cider Radar (as of 2026-10-02) and choose a region: Nelson and Tasman, Hawke's Bay, Auckland, Wellington or Canterbury. Under the shared Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, a drink sold as cider must be made from apples, with no more than 25% pear.

How do I choose a cidery in Oregon?

To choose a cidery in Oregon, look first at the 51 cider makers listed for the state on Cider Radar (as of 2026-10-02), grouped around Portland, the Willamette Valley, Hood River and Mount Hood, and Bend. Oregon hard cider is more than 0.5% and no more than 8.5% ABV, so check the label if you want something stronger.

How do I choose a cidery in Pennsylvania?

To choose a cidery in Pennsylvania, start with the 64 cider makers listed for the state on Cider Radar (as of 2026-10-02) and choose an area: Adams County near Gettysburg is the state's apple country, and there are city cideries in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania's alcoholic cider is between 0.5% and 8.5% ABV.

How do I choose a cidery in Virginia?

To choose a cidery in Virginia, start with the 45 cider makers Cider Radar lists for the state (as of 2026-10-02), then narrow by region, by whether the cidery grows its own apples, and by style. Most tasting rooms are in the Shenandoah Valley and mountains, around Charlottesville in Central Virginia, and in Northern Virginia.

How do I choose a cidery in Wales?

To choose a cidery in Wales, look for makers of Traditional Welsh Cider, a protected name (PGI) for cider made in Wales from 100% first-pressed juice of Welsh-grown apples, then pick a county and a style. Cider Radar lists Welsh makers from Monmouthshire and Powys to Pembrokeshire and Flintshire, with 5 in Powys (as of 2026-10-02).

How do I choose a cidery in Washington State?

To choose a cidery in Washington State, start from the 79 cider makers Cider Radar lists there (as of 2026-10-02) and decide which side of the Cascades suits you: Seattle and the Puget Sound islands for city taprooms and island farms, or Wenatchee, the Methow Valley and Yakima for orchard country.

How do you pour Spanish cider?

Traditional Asturian cider is poured from a height: the bottle is held high above the head and the glass low and tilted, so the stream hits the glass's edge. This pour, called escanciado, awakens the cider's gas and freshens its flavour. Pour a small amount (a culete) and drink it straight away.

How is French cider made?

French cider is made by crushing tannic cider apples, then fermenting the juice slowly and often by keeving, which starves the yeast of nutrients so the cider keeps natural sweetness. Many ciders are then bottled to finish fermenting, which gives them their sparkle. Under French rules, a cidre must reach at least 5% total alcohol.

How is ice cider made?

Ice cider is made by concentrating apple sugars with natural cold, then fermenting the concentrated juice only partly, so it stays sweet. In Quebec, the protected Cidre de glace du Québec uses either juice frozen outdoors (cryoconcentration) or whole apples frozen before pressing (cryoextraction), pressed between 1 December and 1 March.

How is Spanish cider made?

Spanish cider is made by milling and pressing sharp native apples and letting the juice ferment naturally with wild yeast and bacteria, traditionally in chestnut or other wooden vessels. Traditional sidra natural is unfiltered and nearly still, with only the gas left from fermentation. Sparkling sidras get a second fermentation in the bottle.

Is cider carbonated?

Many ciders are carbonated, but not all. Cider can be still, lightly sparkling (pétillant) or fully sparkling. The bubbles come either from a second fermentation in the bottle or tank, or from injected carbon dioxide. In the US, labels must say "sparkling" for the first and "carbonated" for the second.

Is there a cider trail in Normandy?

Yes, Normandy has a cider trail: the Cider Route (Route du Cidre), a signposted circuit of about 40 km through the Pays d'Auge, linking villages such as Beuvron-en-Auge and Cambremer. Producers along the way open their farms to visitors and sell cider, and some also sell pommeau and calvados.

What is rosé cider?

Rosé cider is a pink cider. Its colour comes either from red-fleshed apple varieties or from added fruit, juice or colouring. Rules differ by country: in France, "rosé" on a cider label has been reserved since 2026 for pink cider pressed from red-fleshed apples, while in the UK permitted colourings may only give cider a straw-to-golden colour.

What is the difference between a cider bar and a cider house?

A cider bar is a bar that serves cider from many makers, usually all year. A cider house is traditionally where cider is made and served on site: in the Basque Country, the sagardotegi opens in the cider season, from January to May, and serves new cider straight from the barrel with a set meal.

What is the difference between cider and champagne?

Champagne is a protected sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France, made from authorised grape varieties with a second fermentation in the bottle. Cider is fermented apple juice and can be still or sparkling. Some sparkling ciders use the same traditional bottle-fermentation method, but they cannot be called champagne.

What is the difference between English and American cider?

In BJCP terms, English cider comes from the West Country and is made from bittersweet and bittersharp apples, so it is tannic and often dry. American craft cider spans BJCP's Common Cider (mainly table apples, more acidity) and Heirloom Cider styles. The word differs too: in the US, "cider" often means unfermented juice and the alcoholic drink is "hard cider".

What is the difference between French cider and English cider?

French cider (cidre) is usually lower in alcohol, sweeter and fruitier, often made by keeving and bottle-conditioned, while English cider is usually stronger, drier and more tannic. Both traditionally use bittersweet and bittersharp apples. French label terms such as brut and doux are defined by law; UK sweetness words are not.

What is the difference between ice cider and ice wine?

Ice wine is made from grapes naturally frozen on the vine, while ice cider is made from apples or apple juice concentrated by natural cold. In Quebec, protected ice cider needs at least 140 g/l of residual sugar and 9–13% alcohol. Both concentrate the fruit's sugar by natural freezing rather than by adding sugar.

What is the strongest cider?

The strongest ciders are specialty styles that concentrate sugar or add it before fermentation. BJCP 2025 lists Fire Cider at 9–16% ABV, Ice Cider at 7–13% and Applewine at 9–12%. Legal definitions set lower ceilings: UK cider must be below 8.5% ABV, and stronger apple drinks are taxed differently.

Where is cider made in England?

Cider is made across England, but the traditional heartland is the West Country and the West Midlands: Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Cornwall, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Cider is also made in Kent and other counties outside the West Country. Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire ciders have protected (PGI) status.

Where is cider made in the United States?

Cider is made across the United States, but most makers are in apple-growing states. New York has the most cider makers on Cider Radar, followed by Washington, California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Virginia. Washington grows about two-thirds of the US commercial apple crop. Cider Radar lists 857 US cider makers (as of 2026-10-02).

Where is French cider made?

French cider is made mainly in the north-west of France, in Normandy and Brittany, where cider apples have been grown for centuries. The protected cidre appellations Pays d'Auge and Cotentin are in Normandy, and Cornouaille is in southern Brittany. Smaller amounts are made in Pays de la Loire and other regions.

Which countries make cider?

Cider is made in many countries, from the classic regions of England, France and Spain to Germany, the US, Canada, Australia and Japan. Traditions include Normandy and Brittany cidre, Asturian and Basque sidra, German Apfelwein and Quebec ice cider. Cider Radar lists cider makers in more than 50 countries.

Cider styles and regions