On Sun, 23 Aug 2009, Phil Cook wrote:

K wrote:

Pear cider?

Cider is made from apples.
Perry is what can be made from pears

Perry has to be made from perry pears. The drink made from any old
pears is called pear cider.

Quotation from Wikipedia:

"Pear cider is used as an alternative name to perry. This is often done
for marketing reasons: A recent resurgence in the popularity of perry in
the UK has seen various new products launched as 'pear cider', led by
brands such as Brothers and Bulmers. These brewers see the term as being
more understandable to the younger 18-34 demographic and a distinction
to previous brands associated with the word perry, such as Babycham and
Lambrini which are either associated with the female market or have
fallen out of fashion."

Commercially both cider and perry are made from special cultivars which
are strong in tannin but there is no justification for the assertion
that, to be called cider or perry, they *have* to be made from the
specified cultivars.

I make my own cider from specially selected French apple cultivars such
as Clos Renaud, Bisquet, Domaine and Bon Père. These are unpleasant as
eating apples but make fine cider which makes Strongbow taste like fizzy
water! While cider which is made from dessert apples tastes somewhat
disappointing (to my taste, at any rate) that does not prevent it from
being called cider. Likewise with perry.

David

--
David Rance
writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France