After a long days’ harvest this week I somehow found myself spending the evening at the pub. Sat outside in the blazing 5pm sun, European style on the pavement. Apples swimming in front of my eyes having handpicked hundreds of kilos of fruit, it was still a cider that I wanted. The Bull Inn in Totnes has a modest offering at the bar. Its organic ethos practised by many a small cider maker but certified by few – a pint of Dunkerton’s. Medium cider, light fizz, well-balanced acidity, tannins that make their presence known but don’t linger beyond their stout greeting; a cider lightly considered but well enjoyed! A fermentation on tap, managed to five per cent and still carries notable cider qualities.

Though it’s not always the case that I reach for a pint. As my experience with cider has grown, so does my need to experience the aromas and profiles of drinks in the world I encounter. Driven by a desire for a full cider experience, drinking has generally shrunk to a much smaller glass.

We learn by what we see, our values, who we witness, what we can afford and the experiential backdrop to our drinking.

Tasting cider and perry with folk interested in learning about orchard fermentations, we observe the full gamut of personal techniques. The suspicious novice bearing preconceptions of densely clouded scrumpy. The partial initiate braving a cautious sniff then delicate sip. The hesitant dabbler familiar with a cold cider in the sun. The gulper who doesn’t care for nuance of flavour and the downer who’s just in it for the night out. Close observation and gently guided suggestions open minds to new ways of approaching cider.

Sipping tenders the consideration we encourage for real cider and perry but a concept that many reserve for the likes of wines and spirits. To sip a flute of the Dunkerton’s would feel misplaced, though less so than many a kegged option. The smaller glass lends itself to ciders with a probing intensity, with a sweetness waltzing with acidity and bold tannins.

There are well-known styles of fermentation in the realms of wine and beer that are not so well understood by many drinkers of cider or perry. Distinctions that would usher folk towards a style of drink they prefer. Of course, not everyone will care but to offer a clearer understanding of what drinks are available does neither maker or imbiber a disservice and something alluded to in the National Association of CIder Makers’ Cider, A Great British Story.

We all know that not all occasions merit rumination over acids, tannins, residual sugars and carbonation. Certainly, where large volumes are concerned, a lower alcohol should be encouraged. Yes, there are fermentation techniques and approaches that render a full-juice cider to a lower alcohol but they are time consuming and complex to scale to millions of litres. There lies the stronghold of the artisan, though they can never match the scale of the mainstream market that caters for millions. Nor do they seek to. Both industrially produced ciders and small batch ciders hold a legitimate place in our social endeavours (for some; also our professional ones) but percentage juice content alone does not equate to quality?

The lynchpins for all who care for cider should be quality and clarity.

As cider production diverged with emergence of scale decades ago, the variation in techniques was muted. The word cider has been spread thin as a coverall, broad definition for all styles of it. Would cider be approachable to a wider audience if there was a more candid explanation of product? Defining them would deepen understanding and broaden consumer choice.

Ultimately people should know what they’re drinking and enjoy it, whatever the pour, percentage or name it is given. We should celebrate the versatility of orchard fruit in how they can be fermented and offer such a wide range of drinking experiences, and aim to do so with authenticity against standards that demonstrate the value in a drink that has formed part of our cultural and agricultural heritage for centuries.

So when you hear “it’s nice but I couldn’t drink a pint of it” just remember you don’t always have to.