Apple cider (apple wine)

This is an alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of 2–7%, made from apples. Apple cider has a golden or amber color, a pleasant apple aroma, and a slightly tart flavor.

In England, alongside beer, they produce apple cider, which has a higher alcohol content than in other countries. In France, apple cider is less alcoholic and carbonated; it's called champagne apple cider. Cider, made from apple juice without fermentation, is a non-alcoholic apple drink; in North America, it's also called apple cider.

Apple must, which serves as raw material for the production of low-alcohol apple cider, is prepared from apples of varying degrees of ripeness, combined with sweet varieties of pears, quince, rowan, currant, and strawberry, imparting a multitude of flavor variations to the must. Left to ferment naturally, the apple must is infused with the required amount of sugar to produce dry or sweet apple wine; fermentation lasts for a month.

The must is then clarified and left for a period of time for secondary fermentation. The resulting apple cider is either used to make apple cider vinegar, or used as the raw material for Calvados, followed by distillation and maturation, or left to mature for another 2-3 months to produce young apple wine, i.e., apple cider.

During the maturation process, apple cider is flavored with various botanicals, including cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander seeds. The cider is then clarified and pasteurized for long-term storage.