Natural Cider

About

What is Natural Cider? Put simply, Natural Cider is cider made without anything added or removed during the cider making process. The only ingredients are typically apples and time, with limited or no intervention in the process by the cider maker. Fermented naturally (wild fermented) by the native yeast living on the fruit or in the cidery, without adding any commercial yeasts. Natural ciders are also free of any other additives - like the sugars, sulfites, artificial flavoring, preservatives, and other steps common in modern mass-produced ciders. But defining Natural Cider isn't quite that simple... Natural cider - like nearly any food & beverage product labeled "natural" - does not have a formal definition that is regulated by any government body. So on some level, what exactly is a natural cider depends on who you ask. Most would agree with the simple definition above, though opinions are split on some details. As natty wine and natural cider have become increasingly popular, we've had several conversations with wine and cider makers about the topic - here are some notes that more or less everybody with an opinion on the topic would agree upon: Natural cider is more about the processes used (or not used) in cider making. It's not necessarily a style of cider, and the flavor profile of natural ciders will vary widely depending on many factors. The common denominator is on low intervention in the cider making process, not necessarily how the cider tastes. What does Zero/Zero mean on a wine or cider label? Most commonly this is understood as nothing added, and nothing removed . Nothing added commonly refers to no added yeast, sweeteners, flavoring, preservatives, fining agents, etc. Nothing removed refers to no filtering or pasteurizing of the finished cider. (Zero/Zero is also often seen on labels or wine descriptions as 0/0 or Ø/ Ø ). Some orchardists and cider makers describe zero-zero as nothing artificial or inorganic applied to the fruit growing practices