Editing Cider apple (section)

==Styles==
Cider is made in several countries and can be made from any apples. Historically the flavours preferred and varieties used to produce cider have varied by region. Many of the most traditional apple varieties used for ciders come from or are derived from those from [[Devon]], [[Somerset]] and [[Herefordshire]] in [[England]], [[Normandy]] in [[France]], and [[Asturias]] in [[Spain]], and these areas are considered to have their own broad cider styles although the many exceptions make this more of a historic footnote. Normandy cider is usually naturally carbonated and clear: Asturian cider apple varieties are mainly 'sharps' or mild 'bittersweets',<ref name=lea154>Bamforth and Ward (2014) p.154</ref> producing a mildly acidic cider which is customarily served by being poured from height into the glass to oxygenate it.<ref>[[Asturias#Food and drink]]</ref>

In the UK there are two broad styles of cider, determined by the types of apple available. The style associated with the east of England ([[East Anglia]], [[Kent]], [[Sussex]]) used surplus dessert and cooking apples and was therefore characterised by an acidic, light-bodied cider. The other style, using specific cider apple cultivars with higher tannin levels, is usually associated with the [[West Country]], particularly [[Somerset]], and [[Three Counties (Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire)|Three Counties]]. Within these broad types there are also a number of more specific regional styles. The ciders of Devon were often made largely from sweets, the cultivars low in acid and tannins that typified the county's orchards.<ref name=Rosenstein>Rosenstein, R. ''In Praise of Apples: A Harvest of History, Horticulture & Recipes'', 1999, p.13</ref><ref name=jma>''Agriculture: the journal of the Ministry of Agriculture'', v.59 (1952), 195</ref> Devon cidermakers also specialised in "keeved", or "matched" cider, where fermentation was slowed to produce a naturally sweet finish, though such ciders were usually intended for the London market and a fully fermented, dry "rough" cider was preferred for home consumption.<ref name=shapter>Shapter, ''The Climate of the South of Devon, and Its Influence Upon Health'', 1842, pp. 223-4</ref> Somerset ciders, by contrast, have tended to be stronger and more tannic. Bittersweet cultivars, locally known as "Jersey" apples, were typical of Somerset, although the county's most famous apple, Kingston Black, was a mild bittersharp.<ref name=morgan>Morgan, J. ''The new book of apples'', 2013, p.lxxi</ref> The West Midland county of Gloucestershire traditionally favoured bittersharp apples, giving strong ciders with a higher bite of acidity and tannins: neighbouring Worcestershire and Herefordshire also favoured acidic cider apples, but their growers also made plantings of dual purpose apples to take advantage of markets in nearby industrial centres.<ref name=morgan/>

===Single varietal cider cultivars===

Historically ciders have been almost invariably made from blending apple varieties, and the practice of making single variety ciders is considered largely a modern approach. Only a very small number of apple varieties are considered to be capable of making a good single-variety cider. These fruit are designated as having "vintage" quality, a term first introduced by [[Robert Hogg (biologist)|Robert Hogg]] in 1888, and further popularised by Barker at Long Ashton: it should be understood as referring to the cultivar's ability to produce complex and interesting flavours, rather than in the sense "vintage" is used in winemaking.<ref name=lea154/>

*Sweet Coppin is a sweet originating in Devon;
*Sweet Alford is another Devon sweet variety;
*[[Crimson King (apple)|Crimson King]] is a sharp, first grown in Somerset;
*[[Yarlington Mill]] is a bittersweet, named after the mill in [[Somerset]] where it was found;
*[[Dabinett]] is a bittersweet named after William Dabinett, and is from Middle Lambrook, [[South Petherton]], Somerset;
* [[Major (cider apple)|Major]] is an old bittersweet variety, found in orchards in South Devon and east of the [[Blackdown Hills National Landscape|Blackdown Hills]] in south Somerset;<ref name=lars>''Annual Report of the Long Ashton Research Station'', 1986, p.64</ref>
* Broxwood Foxwhelp is a Herefordshire bittersharp, probably a [[sport (botany)|sport]] of the old variety [[Foxwhelp]]
*[[Kingston Black Apple|Kingston Black]] is a bittersharp probably named after the village of Kingston, near [[Taunton, Somerset]];
*[[Stoke Red]] is a bittersharp originating from the village of Rodney Stoke in [[Somerset]]

Although considered suitable for single-variety ciders, they can also contribute well to blends.