Top Ciders from New Zealand and Beyond

Cider begins in the orchard and our judges set about picking the best from what was pressed...

Some may say that cows carry this country, but at the rate our nation’s apple and pear orchards are sprouting up, one day we could very well be sailing along on cider. It’s been a good few years since we’ve invited cider makers from New Zealand and abroad to submit their top sparklers, and there’s been so much exciting experimentation out there in ciderland, that we now have a smorgasbord of styles to choose from. There’s literally a cider for everyone. While locally grown examples dominate our shop shelves, New Zealanders also have access to cider and cider-centric products from France, England, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, America, Spain, Sweden and Denmark, the latter two providing our most consumed brands, Rekorderlig and Somersby. But craft ciders are creeping up in the market-share stakes and at dish, we’re here for that! We contacted importers and every local cidery for entries across all the different cider categories (Traditional/Modern/Méthode/ Perry or Pear/Cider with Fruit or Berries/ Cider with Spices, Botanicals or Hops/Ice Cider and Low-No Alcohol Cider) and our judges were chuffed to see medal winners in every class. It was super-exciting to see craft cider brands like Scoundrels And Rogues and Paynters earning heavy metal across multiple styles. In each entry our judges looked for freshness, quality, personality and ‘ciderness’, and, most importantly, whether it delivered what it said it would on the label. So welcome to our favourites, this delicious dozen represent some of the most exciting ciders on the market today.

TOP OF THE TASTING - Morningcider Hazy Apple IPA 440ml 6% ($8.00) – Gold Medal + Best Buy

This was an absolute non-stop sipper for our judges — they kept going back for more! Who knew brewing crisp, crunchy, dry cider with a bunch of heavy Kiwi IPA hops would create something so dangerously drinkable. Lemony-gold in the glass and delivering zesty apple and citrus characters alongside a grassy, herbaceous heft, it’s refreshing, cleansing and attractively integrated. It finishes with beautifully balanced tartness and superb length of flavour. morningcider.co

2. Scoundrels and Rogues Cold Shoulder Ice Cider 2020 375ml 9.8% ($19.99) – Gold Medal

Gotta sweet tooth? Then you will go gaga over this glorious sip. This ice cider is gorgeously glossy and looks like golden, late-afternoon sun in the glass. Ultra-luxurious and honey-like, it delivers sweet baked apple, spiced strudel and luscious, beautifully balanced marmalade and caramel characters to finish. Stunning stuff and perfect with apple pie or blue cheese. scoundrelsandrogues.com

3. Paynter’s Cider Mon Cherry 330ml 4.3% ($5.20) – Gold Medal

A truly unique style marrying apple cider, exotic stone fruit and spice. Dark and coffee-coloured in the glass, this cherry- infused brew has delicious cherry cola and comforting, medicinal notes to the nose and palate. Fresh, softly spicy, with caramelised, marzipan complexity to finish. Our judges felt it’d be fantastic to sip with shards of dark chocolate. paynterscider.co.nz

4. Kerisac Cidre Breton Brut 750ml 5.5% ($14.50) – Gold Medal

Crafted from six different cider apples grown in Brittany, this French méthode-style cider is incredibly bright, shiny and copper-coloured, with very fine beading and mousse, elevated aromatics of fallen apples and soft, smoky, forest floor notes. Richly structured with creamy complexity, and a long, slightly biscuity, musky, textural finish. Classic. mvauron.co.nz

5. Teepee Cider The Earl's Drop Vintage Oaked Méthode 2019 750ml 7.5% ($30.00) – Gold Medal

From heritage cider apples grown in the Wairarapa, this classically styled, deeply copper cider has aromas of fallen apples, ginger, white pepper and summer hay paddocks. To sip it’s deliciously dry, delivering a lick of citrus, smoky baked apple and a tweak of sour. It’s healthy, persistent fizz adds to its great length. Personality plus! teepeecider.co.nz

6. Paynter’s Cider The Alchemist 330ml 5.5% ($5.20) – Gold Medal

If you can wrest your gaze from its deep copper colour and its persistent, very fine beading and mousse to appreciate its creamy, caramelised characters and beautifully balanced, toasty, apple skin astringency with juicy richness, then you’re doing well. Maturing deliciously and showing excellent length of flavour, it has buckets of personality and energy. paynterscider.co.nz

7. Sprig + Fern Brewing Co. Berry Cider 1.25L 4.5% ($13.99) – Silver Medal

Dusky red in the glass and delivering moody, rich plum and subtle strawberry notes on the nose and palate, it creates warmth and texture in the mouth and delivers a well-balanced winter cider character with a lick of amaretto on the finish. sprigandfern.co.nz

8. Scoundrels and Rogues Bad Habit Sinful Cider 330ml 5% ($6.00) – Silver Medal

With its freshly cut Golden Delicious apple notes, hints of salinity, bright fruit richness and fabulously feral, traditional-style fullness, this cider has a personality all of its own. Spice notes, a hint of caramel and a sweet, lingering finish made it a real talking point for our judges. scoundrelsandrogues.com

9. Scoundrels and Rogues Morally Bankrupt Pear Cider 330ml 5.5% ($8.00) – Silver Medal

This style is all about the pear, the whole pear and nothing but the pear. Actually it also has minerality, softly gritty complexity, pear-skin astringency and a cleansing juicy character. With deliciously balanced bitterness, a hint of spice and delicate flinty finesse, it’s a crunchy-fresh example. scoundrelsandrogues.com

10. Paynter’s Cider The Pict Pear 330ml 5% ($5.20) – Silver Medal

Perky gold in the glass with ultra-fine, persistent beading, this Hawke’s Bay-grown pear cider is highly perfumed, showing classic crunchy green pear, quartzy minerality and full-bodied intensity and length. Nicely balanced. paynterscider.co.nz

11. Bohemian Cider Double Buzz 330ml 5% ($29.00 x 6pk) – Silver Medal

Ah the hazy dayz of creamed clover honey, beeswax and mead-like notes in a cider base that’s creamy, pillowy and showing soft baking spices and baked apple on the nose and palate. Nicely balanced and richly structured. bohemiancider.co.nz

12. Elemental Cider Pohutukawa Flower 2024 500ml 6.2% ($11.00) – Silver Medal

Deliciously botanical, and bright and bronzy in the glass, this cider shows creamy pear and apple notes on the nose with bright red apple and quartzy, pithy complexity on the palate. The finish has a caramel character, which adds some jazz. elementalcider.co.nz

*BEST BUY status is given to sub-$25.00 wines achieving Gold Medal awards.

Our Tasting Panels operate under strict competition conditions at EIT Hawke’s Bay, and we thank The Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction for the use of their glassware.