Barrett Washburne
Many rules about how to pair wine with various food items are firmly entrenched in our brains. Yet, these tried-and-true guidelines that never fail aren’t as commonly known for cider, a beverage with immense food-pairing potential.
Much like wine, cider comes in a variety of styles, depending on the types of apples that are used, where they are grown and the production methods employed. They can be racy and crisp like an Albariño, or fruity and bubbly like a Prosecco, or even earthy, tannic and tangy like a skin-contact white wine.
These stylistic differences can be broadly segmented by country of origin, where traditional production methods and regional apples yield different results. With that in mind, here’s a guide of the main cider styles from the United States, England and Spain, paired with dishes that enhance the characteristics of vinous-minded fermented apple juice.