A cider tasting party offers something different from the typical wine or beer event. Most guests will be less familiar with cider's diversity, making discoveries more exciting. This guide provides everything you need to host an engaging, educational, and thoroughly enjoyable cider tasting at home—from selecting your lineup to facilitating meaningful tasting discussions.
Planning Your Tasting
Guest Count
Smaller groups (6-10 people) allow for more focused tasting and discussion. Larger groups (12-20) create a party atmosphere but make formal tasting challenging. Consider your goals: educational deep-dive or social gathering with a cider theme?
Number of Ciders
Plan 4-6 ciders for a focused tasting or 6-8 for a more extensive exploration. More than 8 leads to palate fatigue and diminishing returns. Remember, a standard 750ml bottle provides approximately 6 tasting pours (125ml each), so adjust quantities based on guest count.
For 8 guests tasting 6 ciders with 75ml pours each: you'll need roughly 4 litres total, or approximately 6 standard bottles. Always buy 1-2 extra bottles in case of breakage or unexpectedly thirsty guests.
Theme Ideas
A tasting theme focuses your selection and provides a narrative thread:
- Regional exploration: Compare ciders from Tasmania, Adelaide Hills, and Orange NSW
- Style journey: Progress from bone-dry to sweet, exploring the spectrum
- Single variety showcase: Taste the same apple variety from different producers
- Blind tasting: Conceal labels and guess styles, producers, or preferences
- Local vs. imported: Compare Australian craft ciders with international offerings
- Cider and cheese: Focus on pairing exploration rather than cider alone
Selecting Your Ciders
Variety Is Key
Even without a specific theme, ensure variety across these dimensions:
- Sweetness: Include at least one dry, one medium, and one sweet
- Fruit base: Mix apple ciders with a perry or fruit-infused option
- Production style: Contrast industrial and craft offerings
- Price points: Show that quality exists across the range
Sample Lineup
Here's a balanced selection for a general exploration tasting:
- Mainstream reference: A familiar commercial cider (Somersby or Strongbow) as a baseline
- Quality dry: Tasmania's Mercury or Willie Smith's for dry craft expression
- Medium craft: A balanced Adelaide Hills offering
- Wild ferment: Something funky and complex like Small Acres
- Perry: To showcase pear cider's distinct character
- Speciality: An ice cider, fruit blend, or oak-aged option to finish
Equipment and Setup
Essential Items
- Glassware: Wine glasses work perfectly; have at least 2-3 per guest for simultaneous tasting
- Water: Plenty of still water for palate cleansing and hydration
- Palate cleansers: Plain crackers, bread, or apple slices between ciders
- Tasting sheets: Printed sheets for notes (provide simple rating scales for beginners)
- Pens: One per guest
- Bucket/spittoon: Professional but optional; most home tasters swallow
- Ice: For chilling; fill a large bucket or tub
- Labels/bags: For blind tastings
Chill all ciders to the same temperature (around 8°C) for consistency. Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before serving. Number bottles 1-6 rather than revealing names immediately—even if not doing a formal blind tasting, this builds suspense and prevents bias.
Room Setup
Arrange seating so everyone can see and hear. A dining table works well. Ensure good lighting—guests need to see cider colour and clarity. Avoid scented candles or strong-smelling flowers that could interfere with aromatic evaluation.
Conducting the Tasting
Tasting Order
Sequence matters: serve lighter before heavier, drier before sweeter. Residual sugar and intense flavours can overwhelm the palate, making it difficult to appreciate subtle ciders afterwards. A typical progression:
- Light, dry ciders
- Medium ciders
- Full-bodied or tannic ciders
- Sweet ciders
- Dessert styles or specialties
Pouring
Pour approximately 75-100ml per tasting (enough for evaluation without excess). Pour for everyone before discussion begins so you're all experiencing the same cider simultaneously.
The Tasting Process
Guide guests through systematic evaluation:
Look (30 seconds): Hold the glass against a white background. Observe colour (straw, gold, amber?), clarity (clear, hazy, cloudy?), and carbonation (still, lightly sparkling, vigorously fizzy?).
Smell (1 minute): Swirl gently to release aromatics. First impressions at a distance, then deeper sniffs. What fruits do you detect? Floral notes? Earthy or funky character? Spices?
Taste (2-3 minutes): Take a sip and let it coat your palate. Consider sweetness level, acidity (does it make your mouth water?), tannins (drying sensation?), body (light or full?), flavour intensity, and finish length.
Discuss (3-5 minutes): Share impressions. What did you notice? Did you like it? Why or why not? This is where learning happens—everyone perceives differently.
If you're hosting, briefly introduce each cider (after tasting, if blind) with production details. Guide discussion but don't dominate—encourage quiet guests to share. Validate all opinions; taste is subjective, and there are no wrong answers.
Food Accompaniments
Food transforms a tasting into an event. Consider these options:
Simple Pairings
- Cheese board: Mix hard (cheddar, Gruyère), soft (brie, camembert), and blue cheeses
- Charcuterie: Prosciutto, salami, pâté—the richness loves dry cider's acid
- Fresh fruit: Apple slices, pear, grapes
- Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts
- Pickles and chutneys: Acid on acid works surprisingly well
Substantial Additions
For evening tastings transitioning to dinner:
- Pork-based dishes (terrines, pies, sliders)
- Quiche or savoury tarts
- Seafood (oysters with dry cider are magnificent)
- Apple-based desserts for sweet cider pairings
Educational Elements
A tasting is an opportunity to learn together. Consider including:
Background Information
Prepare brief producer notes—one minute per cider covering region, apple varieties, production methods, and any interesting stories. Print these as handouts or present verbally after tasting each cider.
Interactive Elements
- Blind guessing: Can guests identify sweet vs. dry? Guess regions?
- Price ranking: Order ciders by perceived quality, then reveal prices
- Favourite voting: Score each cider 1-10, tally group favourites
- Food pairing experiments: Try the same cider with different cheeses
Post-Tasting
Don't let the evening end abruptly:
- Open favourites: Crack open additional bottles of group favourites for casual drinking
- Share notes: Take photos of tasting sheets; create a shared document summarising the group's discoveries
- Plan the next one: Enthusiasm is high—set a date for a follow-up with a different theme
- Safe transport: Ensure all guests have safe transport home. Consider breath testing kits or organised ride-sharing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Too many ciders: Quality over quantity. 6 thoughtfully selected beats 12 rushed.
- Rushing: Allow time for each cider. A proper tasting takes 90-120 minutes for 6 ciders.
- Lecturing: Share knowledge but encourage participation. It's a discussion, not a presentation.
- Wrong temperatures: Warm cider tastes flabby; frozen cider tastes of nothing. Get temperature right.
- No water: Dehydration affects perception and enjoyment. Plenty of water, please.
- Dirty glasses: Soap residue or dishwasher film destroys bubbles and flavour. Rinse with plain water before serving.
Start Planning Your Tasting
A cider tasting party requires more preparation than a casual drinks gathering, but the rewards—shared discovery, learning, and genuine enthusiasm—make it worthwhile. Your guests will leave with expanded horizons and new appreciation for cider's diversity.
Browse our product selection for inspiration, or contact us for customised tasting recommendations based on your theme and budget. Cheers to your next tasting!