Perry

Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Interest is growing in artisanal perry production in the fruit-growing regions of the northwest United States. Perry typically has an alcohol content ranging from 5 to 8% ABV, but is sometimes distilled into calvados with 40–43% ABV, and blended with further pear juice to produce a fortified drink

around 17% ABV.

Production

Fruit

The pears used to make perry are typically not the large, sweet varieties eaten as fresh fruit. Perry pears tend to be small and relatively bitter — the distinction between table pears and perry pears is similar to the distinction between table apples and cider apples. Perry pears are thought to be descended from wild hybrids, known as "wildings", between the cultivated pear Pyrus communis subsp. communis and the now-rare wild pear Pyrus communis subsp. pyraster. The cultivated pear P. communis was brought to northern Europe by the Romans. In the fourth century CE, Saint Jerome referred to perry as piracium. Wild pear hybrids were, over time, selected locally for desirable qualities, and by the 1800s, many regional varieties had been identified.