The Three Counties
Cider and Perry Association

Cider and Perry Links and Addresses

Links

Alcohol Testing: It is very useful to be able to take your own accurate alcohol levels. Bellingham & Stanley supply an Alcohol Content Refractometer which is suitable for cider and perry. Contact details: Tel 01892 500400 or email

The CAMRA APPLE pages.

The Cider Academy offers a range of flexible training programmes to suit everyone - from an introductory to advanced level. Probably the most respected source of information and training available anywhere for the cider production industry.

Cider Making Jargon is explained in an article by Michael Quinion on his "Investigating International English" site.

Customs and Excise for "Notice 162 - Cider and Wine Production" with details of excise duty on cider and wine, how to register and how to claim for exemption from registration by a maker of cider or perry for sale. (Notice 162 is a pdf file). The UK duty rates on cider and perry are also here.

Statutory Instrument 1989 No. 1355 The Cider and Perry Regulations 1989.

DEFRA have information on the EU Protected Food Name Scheme which has been operating since 1993. Much as French wines may be labelled "Apellation Controlee" so it is possible, within the EU, to have Regional and Local Food Names which are classified as Protected Designation of Origin - PDO - or Protected Geographical Indication - PGI. Herefordshire cider, Worcestershire cider, Gloucestershire cider and Herefordshire perry, Worcestershire perry and Gloucestershire perry have all been registered under the PGI heading.

DEFRA are responsible for CAP reform and its impact on traditional orchards. For details see CAP: Single Payment Scheme - Orchards and CAP: Single Payment Scheme - Orchards.
DEFRA are also responsible for the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) which contributes to the delivery of the Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food by helping farmers to respond better to consumer requirements and become more competitive, diverse, flexible and environmentally responsible. It also provides help to rural businesses and communities which need to adapt and develop. The ERDP provides a framework for the operation of 10 separate but integrated schemes which provide new opportunities to protect and improve the countryside, to develop sustainable enterprises and to help rural communities to thrive. A total of £1.6 billion of EU and Government money is being made available under these schemes in England during the 7 years (2000-2006) of the Programme.

The Food & Drink Information Centre is the one-stop-shop facility for enquiries from businesses involved in the Food and Drink Industry. The centre answers queries by utilising all existing sources and information providers, giving users the opportunity for just one point of contact - no need to search for answers or wade through information the Food & Drink Information Centre will do that for you. Currently the service is absolutely FREE. It is funded by Advantage West Midlands and delivered by Business Link Herefordshire & Worcestershire, the Food & Drink Information Centre is here to serve businesses in the Food and Drink Industry.
The Centre, based in Hereford at Crossway House, Holmer Road, Hereford, HR4 9SS (Telephone: 0845 450 8685 FAX: 0845 450 6151), also offers a meeting room facility (subject to availability) and a comprehensive Information Library with plenty of research material for businesses within the Food and Drink sector. The meeting room boasts all the latest state of the art technology including video conferencing, internet access and a digital interactive white board. To book the meeting room or to arrange a visit please contact Roger George by telephone on 0845 450 6111 or email

The Food Standards Agency for all sorts of information and guidance including

• the Food Standards Agency - Labelling Guidance - which applies to fruit juices, cider and perry.
• criteria for the use of the terms Fresh, Pure, Natural etc. in food labelling. (This is a pdf file).

Gillian Grafton's cider pages had not been updated for several years (since May 1996 in fact) but contained an absolute wealth of information. Paul Gunningham has now taken over and is bringing the information up to date. (The link is to the new location for the site).

The Hereford Cider Route. The 2003 route lists fourteen cider and perry makers and apple juicers open to the public as well as two specialist retailers of ciders, perries and apple juices. Heaven!

The Hop Pocket Wine Company at The Hop Pocket Craft Centre, New House Farm, Bishops Frome, Herefordshire WR6 5BT seems to have a wider range of bottled ciders and apple juices every time one visits them.

Making French Cider, from talks given by Dave Matthews and Dr. Andrew Lea.

Marcher Apple Network who want to revive the traditional varities of apples and pears grown in the Southern Marcher counties have a cider apple and perry pear subgroup. They are currently trying to trace examples of all the cider apples and perry pears recorded in the Herefordshire Pomona.

NetRegs is free to use and is regularly updated. Its aim is to help small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK to understand the complex environmental regulations that can affect them. The site provides guidance on how to comply with environmental law as well as advice on good environmental practice. As well as general information there is sector specific information for Food and Drink.
There are Welsh versions of most pages on this site.

The National Association of Cider Makers. The site uses Flash but there are some links for royalty-free photographs.

Orchard Hive and Vine in Leominster who have arguably the best selection of bottled cider and perry for sale in the UK. Other local retailers do appear to be catching up and may well dispute this statement.

The UK Cider and Perry site. They have several good links pages (even if they do use Flash). You can read all past discussions from the ukcider list by ploughing through the messages on the public archive at groups-beta.google.com/group/ukcider

All manner of pressing, bottling and filtering equipment is available from Vigo Ltd in Devon. Not just for cider making but for juicing as well. Vigo can be contacted by EMail at or directly at Dunkswell Airfield, Dunkeswell, Honiton, Devon, EX14 4LF, England. Tel: 01404 890 262 Fax: 01404 890 263.

The Welsh Cider Society for everything to do with Welsh cider.

The Wittenham Hill Cider Portal. Andrew Lea's comprehensive site which takes a scientific view of cider making. Andrew keeps this site up to date.

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Addresses

If you want to make cider or apple juice from your own fruit Simon Abiss has a mobile scratter and press for hire. (This is for "small commercial" scale pressing making gallons of juice rather than a few pints). Contact him on Tel 01432 851734 or 07733321319 or EMail for more details.