It is a good question about whether an alcoholic drink might better be categorised by how it is consumed than how it is made, but I also agree that the characterisation of wine as a middle-class dinner party tipple is rather dated.

I look forward to discussing some ideas to address this with you

We could also add that cider and perry are not brewed but fermeneted. Additionally there’s the Alcohol by Volume level of real cider and perry which is usually closer to white table wines and preclude it from the seven pints culture of session beer drinkers.

The comment about middle-class dinner parties however is completely out of touch with the way in which most wine is consumed these days in the UK, and traditionally in Europe.

To suggest that cider and perry have more in common with wine than beer is only partly true. Yes, the cidermaking process is almost identical to that of vinification, and has very little in common with the brewing process, but I would argue that the drinking culture associated with cider and perry (which in many ways is itself unique!) has much more in common with that of beer drinking.

Unless we believe that the sole future for craft cidermaking is in high-quality bottled ciders presented as an alternative to wine, enjoyed either at home or in up-market pubs and restaurants, then we have to accept that the natural home of real cider and perry is in the pub, alongside high quality craft beers.

My preferred environments for drinking real cider and perry are (in order of merit), the farm, the pub, festivals/food events, home. Similarly, my no.1 preference for wine drinking is the home.

Whether I have a role to play in promoting real cider and perry is clearly debatable. I don’t believe that there will ever be a groundswell of popularity within the campaign for drinks other than beer, but to suggest that enthusiasts of cider and perry should align ourselves with producers and commentators of wine is I believe equally futile. I don’t want cider and perry to be the next middle-class dinner party talking point, I want to drink it in pubs with friends and strangers, many of whom will probably be drinking beer!