Home > Categories > Beverages > Ciders > Rochdale Cider - Perry review
A Tradition since 1941.
A sparkling, medium classic pear cider, with a well-rounded flavour and a smooth, subtle finish.
Lovingly made in New Zealand from delicious tree-ripened NZ-grown pears and pure artesian water.
• 5% alcohol by volume
• 1.3 standard drinks per bottle
• No preservatives whatsoever
Website: www.mccashins.co.nz
Product reviews...
I absolutely loved this cider. I was aware that there was basically an alcohol brewed from every form of fruit, but I didn't know that cider was restricted to apples, and that the same form of alcohol made with pears instead was called 'Perry'. Despite drinking a huge variety in my years, I don't know THAT much about them it seems.
A good sized portion, and of course served in glass to ensure a pure, untainted taste experience. I found this to be best drunk fairly well chilled, as it lost some of it's smoothness as it warmed. I found it really pleasant served in a tall glass over plenty of ice.
All in all, a really nice brew and probably my favourite of the lot, but only by a small margin. The 'Traditional' rated very well too because I love to see the basic done right.
I tasted this flavour with 2 of my boarders, 2 of us don't drink very often at all so our small glass really hit us, and the other person drinks daily and her small glass hit her too so we are thinking this must be really good stuff.
We all found it very crisp and tasty, however we thought it was more an apple taste rather than pear, not that that was a problem, we thoroughly enjoyed it, looking forward to the next flavour now.
I wasn't too sure about this one... never having even *heard* of a beverage called 'Perry' - which it turns out isn't just a flash branding, it's the actual name for the pear-based version of cider. However, as always willing to jump in and try something new, especially alcoholic stuff, I cracked the seal and took a swig.
Then I promptly finished the bottle and regretted I had only the one.
This is a really different, but entirely pleasant, alternative to cider. It still carries that slightly 'dry' acid bite so typical of fruit-based alcohols, though it's quite smooth so fits well as a 'medium' as well. I did find that as it warmed to room temp, it swung more towards 'dry' - not too sure why, but that was just what I got from it.
The bottle is a good sized portion, at 330ml, and of course being able to screw the cap back on saves spillage, but I would also have been glad to see a larger bottle available, perhaps 500/750ml - just to make it a great alternative to wine for more formal dining ocassions, or for outdoor BBQ's - for those delightful 3-5 weeks of summer each year we get.
Overall, this was a delightful drop, one I have already been pleased to recommend to friends, and will continue to do so. It's a little different, and may be considered an 'acquired taste' for the purists out there, but for those who are game to widen their tastebud horizons, this is well worth looking for at your local bottlestore and/or supermarket.
Random listing from 'Beverages'...
Pinky/gold salmon coloured with a subtle strawberry aroma, intermingled with an underlying yeasty, toasty bouquet. A careful blending of the base wines has resulted in a full palate with an elegant finesse.
The wine has a hint of sweetness which complements the subtle, lingering taste of strawberries.
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