Cider

Cider is fermented Apple juice — not grocery “apple cider” that was never yeasted. Under U.S. wine identity, fruit wine from apples or pears may be designated “cider” and “perry” respectively, and shall be so designated if lacking in vinous taste, aroma, and characteristics ¹. Vinous here means wine-like. A sharp, apple-forward ferment that does not taste like grape wine is supposed to say cider on the label. That is a class rule, not a tasting-note preference.

It is still fruit wine: alcoholic fermentation of the juice of sound, ripe fruit other than grapes ¹. Wine remains grapes. Mead is honey. Beer is malt and hops.

What to notice #

Apples bring sugar and Acidity. A tart cooking apple tastes like acid you may not need to add; a mealy dessert apple tastes like sugar and can make a flatter ferment. Smell clean apple and yeast, not nail-polish remover (volatile acidity is a defect in fruit wine as in grape wine — the standard caps volatile acidity for fruit wine ¹). Harvest Brix and pathogen control vary with the fruit and process.

Sparkling or carbonated fruit wine has further designations in the same section. Do not call injected CO₂ a second fermentation.

Wine fermentation is the yeast job. Jelly from apple juice is pectin, not this drink. The broader family is Drinks.