Long grass between a very neatly trimmed hedge of the neighbour, and a row of small apple trees coming into blossom.

Two rows of small trees and a mown “lawn” between them.

Cycling by our little test spindle orchard, I saw the old chap next door has strimmed along the boundary, a sign to start mowing here again! First cut high, will go a bit shorter next week, then it’s nice for the neighbours again. Need to do a bit more work here…

I should note, he did not write the subhead, as he'd never call perry "pear cider". :P

Editorial: Perry Is Not Dead. Westons’ statement that “perry is dead” dismisses centuries-old craftsmanship and cultural significance. Barry argues that education, not erasure, is essential.

He references an editorial I splurged out at the time, filled with emotion and a little rage.
But there's a bonus photo of Anu at the end of it!
And those trees in the title image are in blossom right now :)

Perry isn’t ‘dead’ - Drinks Retailing Pear cider is globally thriving – whatever the major brands might say – writes Adam Wells One of the more eyebrow-raising moments in the cider world last year was when, asked the somewhat leading ques...

Aha, just saw my friend Adam had this published this last week. And he was here and never said it! :D
There was a bit of a furor last year when Westons, who should have known better, declared that the term perry was dead. Far fucking from it!

Quite fond of a nice Likör too!

I do not. Sounds more like a heavy Likör, probably with some sweetness?

Completely rotten and brittle, and having seen the grub, wouldn’t want that near my mouth 😁

A nuisance. Screws up the planned shape. And if the hit the leader, makes a mess.
Thankfully no fireblight here at the moment, just pear decline.

Oh, I can’t tell off the top of my head. It was a regionally certified mix, with I think 50 or 60 species. Some will probably not take at that location. But meadow sage, oxeye daisy, borage, sainfoin I know are doing well. UG11 on this page

A broken of dead stem off a young perry pear tree. The inside is hollow.

I just spotted a few dead young branches on one tree here. Didn’t notice until the leaves failed to come out. As I suspected, this came from a pear shoot wasp (birnentriebwespe/Janus compressus). They inject an egg into a young shoot, and the grub hollows it out.

Another meadow, covered in dandelions in Blossom, also planted with 46 pear trees with wide spacing

This is the phase 2 orchard. It was an existing intensively fertilised meadow, hence the dandelions. Over the next few years a mowing regime will aim to increase diversity of more typical meadow plants. 1/2 the trees planted last year, the rest completed last month.

A drone photo looking over a small young Orchard, trees planted at 10 meter intervals. Everything is looking green and lush now, with a field of yellow rape seed in the background.

A young gin pear tree

Inspection time. A lot changes in a week this time of year. This is our phase 1 perry pear orchard. 4 years ago it was tillage, and we sowed a flowering meadow mix. Trees planted 2 years ago. Coming on nicely.

Hmm, in most bars you’ll find the more industrial ciders, Magners mainly. You might find bottles of Stonewell, which is decent. For more artisanal ciders, Slane Cider Mill or Longueville House stuff.
I am not often back in Ireland so unsure of availability.

😂

Two pear trees on a meadow. One on the left just has Grein, as the new leaves begin to sprout. On the right another is filled with big white blossom. Lots of dandelions growing on the meadow below the trees.

The Schweizer Wasserbirne (left) have finished their display, but the Bayerische Weinbirne are now in their full glory!

We’ll have to wait 6 months! 😄

And back to nature. I grew up in a city, but 16 years in a small German village means my battery was running low in Frankfurt. Recharging…

Earlier 😁

The river Neckar in the sun, as seen from my train.

The weather looking kind for a nice long walk with Anu when I get home. She’s gonna flip out when she sees me. 😍

Austria’s Mostviertel is literally synonymous with Perry. One of the few survivors of a Perry culture that once spread from Switzerland, Austria, southern Germany, up through north France & over to Britain. The modern interpretation is very wine-oriented, but Haselberger is going back to the roots

Could do with one now.

My friend Thomas Digervold from Norway stepping in to serve cider to the masses at the Cider World expo

The last night social at Daheim im Lohrbachstal, Sachsenhausen. Lots of Apfelwein, pork knuckles, excellent Sauerkraut and company.

More sausage.

Adam Well who co-founded Cider Review, of which I have been editor the past two and a bit years, and me with Gerippte glasses filled with Apfelwein.

Puh! What a hectic week that was. 6 days and 7 very late nights filled with lots of people, cider, more cider, Perry, beer and Aperol Spritzes. Cider World is great for meeting people I haven’t seen in ages, and lots of new contacts in the global cider community. But glad to be on the way home!

Going their own way. Haselberger in Austria’s Mostviertel. Barry chats with Peter Haselberger, about how and why they are breaking away from the perceived style of Mostviertel perry.

Barry (@barmas.bsky.social) chats with Peter Haselberger, about how and why they are breaking away from the perceived style of Mostviertel perry.
🍐

Ooh, I’ve been upgraded to presenting an award this year.

A cinema screen with Cider World Award 26 on it.

So bombastic 😁 Awards ceremony at Cider World about to begin.

The judging room for the Cider World awards with tables of judges evaluating over 120 products

Intense workload!

“Early night”. Networking got in the way. Not often you get so many cider and perry geeks in one place.

I love them ☺️ we’re blessed to have todo many in the surrounding countryside

I’ll be a purist and say no, but yes, similar in concept, perry is made from perry pears, cider from apples 😊 Pear cider usually invokes the industrial “cider” that is flavoured with pear.

Skyscrapers in Frankfurt.

And now I’m not in Schefflenz any more.
In Frankfurt for Cider World. On the jury for the awards tomorrow, so an earlier night tonight. But already had nice networking.