The fermented juice of perry pears — tannic, fuller-bodied, and complex, closer to a young white wine than to fresh pears. Typically 4–9% ABV and pale straw to gold, with sweetness that varies by tradition (English examples tend drier, French sweeter).
In the glass
Origin
Perry — fermented pear juice — has a long, geographically concentrated tradition: the Three Counties of England (Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire) and the Domfront area of Normandy in France, where it is called poiré. It is made from special “perry pears” grown for fermentation rather than eating; many are so tannic and hard as to be nearly inedible fresh, and the trees can take decades to mature. Once common in those regions, perry declined sharply through the 20th century as orchards were lost, and today it survives as a small traditional specialty with a modest craft revival.
Notes
Traditional perry is distinct from much of what is marketed as “pear cider,” which often means an apple cider flavored with pear or a drink made from ordinary table pears. True perry uses tannic perry-pear varieties and a long regional craft. The perry-pear sorbitol quirk is worth knowing: a bone-dry perry can still taste faintly sweet, because sorbitol tastes sweet but does not ferment.
Defining examples
Oliver’s Classic Perry·Burrow Hill Perry·Eric Bordelet Poiré Authentique·Hogan’s Classic Perry