So you know what a varietal is
– What Comes Next?
So we (and by we, I mean perhaps you who have read my guide to varieties for Beginners – if not you can do so here) have established what a variety is when it comes to cider, but what comes next?
Unfortunately it’s not quite as simple as knowing what a variety is and that there are some that make for good eating and others that make for good drinking. There are, after all, dozens of different apple varieties so some further categorisation is required for us to get our head around that.
Time, then, to take a look at how cider apples are distinguished from one another, and what that means for those that make cider and for those who drink cider. Photography by Amelia Claudia & Bill Bradshaw.
I am a firm believer that when learning about any theory it is important to know not just the theory itself, but who and where it came from. So, before I begin discussing the categorisation of cider varieties I’m going to talk a little about two men, the first of which is a man called Thomas Andrew Knight.
Born in 1759, not only was Thomas Andrew Knight both a horticulturist and botanist he also served as the second president of the Royal Horticultural Society. And his CV doesn’t stop there.
After inheriting multiple acres of land in Herefordshire (alright for some) he used this gift to document the many types of apple varieties growing there at the time. Published in 1811, the Pomona Herefordiensis as it was titled, was revolutionary in its beautifully illustrated documentation of apple varieties, including descriptions and properties of all the fruit featured.
Moving onto the 20th Century and it’s time to introduce the second of this influential duo – B T P Barker. Barker was the first director of the Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) which opened near Bristol in 1903, only to close a century later.
Seeking to apply scientific classification to the ever growing number of styles being grown in the UK, Barker created the English Cider Apple Classification System which, luckily for you, I am about to explain the ins and outs of.
“Seeking to apply scientific classification to the ever growing number of styles being grown in the UK, Barker created the English Cider Apple Classification System.”
Rachel Hendry
Rachel Hendry
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