Cider Pairings
Cider can be a welcomed addition to any meal when you know how to pair it. Just like a bold red wine can pair well with a rich tomato sauce and a hoppy India Pale Ale can partner with tempura, cider offers a myriad of versatile and fun pairing possibilities. Our Cider Pairing Guide can help you get started matching food with cider.
- Our food and cider pairings are inspired by the diverse bounty of culinary treasures harvested, cultivated and foraged from the Pacific Northwest land and sea.
- We use the basic 5 taste senses: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami to identify flavors present in a dish. Then, we apply the pairing principles of cut, contrast, complement, complete, intensity matching and regional pairing.
- Cut – refresh the palate
- Contrast – taste that are seemingly opposite contrast each other
- Complement – similar flavors go together
- Complete – add in what is missing from the dish
- Intensity matching – both cider and food are light or rich, etc.
- Regional pairing – food and cider from the same region
PERFECT NORTHWEST CIDER PAIRINGS FOR EVERY BITE
Apple Cider
Pair with oysters, apple braised pork, steak, portobello, cookouts, weeknights
What makes it work
A semi-dry sparkling, low tannin apple cider pairs with fresh oysters, offering a refreshing cut that completes the dish. The umami and salty flavors of the oysters are cut by the acidity and enhanced by the fruit in the cider. Sparkling bubbles in the cider also help cut richness and briny flavors with a changed mouthfeel, refreshing the palate with each sip.
A semi-sweet low tannin apple cider paired with apple cider braised pork ribs complements the dish. The pork ribs, sweetened and fruity from the braise, complements the sweet and fruity notes of the cider. The umami flavors of the pork increase the perception of bitterness and acidity in the cider, cutting some of the cider’s sweetness and offering more depth.
A sweet, high tannin apple cider pairs with peppered steak or marinated portobello, offering a match of intensities. The robust flavors of the meat or mushroom match the complexity and richness of the cider. The umami flavor of the steak or portobello increases the perception of complexity in the cider.
FRUIT CIDER
Pair with aged gouda, green salad, shrimp tacos with mango salsa, picnics, movie night
WHAT MAKES IT WORK
A semi-sweet berry fruit cider paired with an aged gouda offers a sweet and salty contrast. The cheese has umami and salt flavors. The cider has sweetness and some bitterness from tart berries. The richness of the milk fat and saltiness in the finished cheese can decrease the perception of bitterness and acidity in the cider, while increasing the mouthfeel and body for a satisfying contrast pairing.
A semi-sweet cherry fruit cider paired with a green salad offers completion of the dish. The salad with leafy greens, a variety of vegetables and a vinaigrette dressing has flavors of bitterness, acidity and umami. The cider adds a sweetness as well as some tart and fruity notes, completing the dish.
A semi-dry tropical fruit cider is complemented by shrimp tacos with mango salsa. The savory shrimp tacos have umami and salty flavors, enhanced by the sweetness of mango salsa. The cider has sweet and acid flavors. The tropical fruit in the cider offers a similar flavor and sweetness to the salsa, bringing these elements of the dish together in complement.
Single Varietal Cider
Pair with shepherd’s pie, herb roasted chicken, citrus olive oil cake, celebrations, date nights
WHAT MAKES IT WORK
A semi-sweet single varietal Golden Russet cider pairs with shepherd’s pie, offering completion. The shepherd’s pie with a medley of vegetables and rich gravy has umami and salty flavors, while the cider adds sweetness and acidity, completing the dish.
A semi-dry single varietal Kingston Black cider pairs with herb roasted chicken offering a match of intensities in a regional pairing. The chicken is salty and savory, with complexity from the herbs and roasting, but not overpowering. The cider is equally complex, with a balance of acidity and medium tannins. The shared terroir of the apple orchards and farmland where chickens are raised offers a taste of place.
A single varietal Harrison cider pairs with a citrus olive oil cake, offering complement. The cake has sweet notes, cut by the citrus and the cider has fruity notes punctuated by acidity. Both have a complexity from acidity paired with some sweetness and are brightened and complemented by the pairing.
Botanical Cider
Pair with pepperoni pizza, sushi, coconut green curry, food carts, Fridays
What makes it work
A semi-dry hopped cider pairs with pepperoni pizza, cutting the richness and spice. The acidity in the cider refreshes the palate between rich bites. The pizza has flavors of umami and saltiness, as well as acidity from the sauce. The fruity and herbal cider has flavors of acidity and some sweetness. The acidity of tomato sauce amplifies the fruitiness of the cider. The saltiness of pepperoni can create a perception of more body in the cider and a perception of less bitterness and acidity, so the cut is a good intensity match as well.
A semi-sweet ginger cider pairs with a tuna sushi roll to complete the dish. The sushi roll has acidity, saltiness and umami. The cider completes the pairing with flavors of fruit and sweetness. The gentle heat of ginger in the cider adds complexity and is a complement to ginger or other spicy notes in the sushi.
A semi-sweet basil cider pairs with coconut green curry to complete and complement the dish. The lime, creamy coconut and spices of the curry offer acidity, saltiness and umami flavors. The cider adds fruit and sweetness. The basil present in the dish and in the cider offers a complementing flavor that ties both together.
Red Fleshed CIDER
Pair with wild mushroom risotto, Dungeness crab quiche, butternut squash soup, brunch dates, coast days
WHAT MAKES IT WORK
A semi-sweet red fleshed cider pairs with wild mushroom risotto completing the dish. The earthy mushroom and rich risotto present salty and umami flavors, while the cider contributes sweetness and acidity, completing the dish. The umami and salty flavors in the risotto can decrease the perception of bitterness in the cider, so the sweet, fruit and acidity can shine.
A semi-dry red fleshed cider pairs with Dungeness crab quiche, offering a cut. The acidity of the cider clears the palate, cutting through richness of eggs, cheese and buttery crust, lightening the palate between bites. The saltiness of the crab increases the perception of body in the cider, while decreasing the perception of bitterness and acidity.
A dry red fleshed apple cider pairs with butternut squash soup offering contrast. The nutty, creamy soup has sweet, salty and umami flavors. The fruity cider has bitterness and acid, completing the dish. The sweetness of the squash enhances the perception of the bitter and acidic flavors in the cider, furthering the contrast.
Wood Aged Cider
Pair with roasted nuts, smoked brisket, marionberry cobbler, forested hikes, game night
WHAT MAKES IT WORK
A semi-dry wood aged cider paired with roasted nuts offers complementary flavors. The roasted, earthy flavor of the nuts complements earthy, oaky flavors in the cider. The saltiness of the nuts can also create a perception of increased body in the cider, reducing the perception of bitterness and acidity so the cider is more well rounded.
A sweet wood aged cider paired with smoked brisket offers contrast. The slow smoker cooked brisket is complex, with rich flavors of salt and umami. The sweet, fruity and bitter notes of the cider help to complete the dish. The saltiness in the meat brings out more bitterness and acidity in the cider, reducing the perception of sweetness, helping the cider to be an intensity match for the meat.
A semi-sweet wood aged cider pairs with marionberry cobbler offering a match of flavor intensity. The cobbler is sweet and also tart from marionberries. The cider is semi-sweet, with bitterness from tannins and wood aging. Both are fairly strong profiles. The sweet of the cobbler decreases the perception of sweetness in the cider, amplifying bitterness and acidity, making it taste more complex. The intensity match offers interest to both, and completes the dish.
Low/no Alcohol Cider
Pair with salted popcorn, berry fruit salad, seafood paella, creative flow, Sundays
What makes it work
A semi-sweet ciderkin (a low alcohol cider, made from rehydrated apple pomace) pairs with salted popcorn, offering contrast. The saltiness of the popcorn contrasts the sweet fruitiness of the cider, increasing the perception of mouthfeel in the cider. Both popcorn and ciderkin are light and sessionable, matching in intensity.
A semi-sweet low alcohol apple cider pairs with berry fruit salad to offer complimentary flavors with matching intensities. The fruit flavor from the berry salad is carried through in the fruitiness of the cider. The sweetness of the berry salad can create a perception of increased bitterness and acidity in the cider that makes it tastes more complex, while reducing the perception of fruitiness and sweetness.
A semi-dry non alcoholic high tannin apple cider pairs with seafood paella to complete the dish. The spices and seafood in the dish present acid, saltiness and umami flavors, while the cider adds fruity notes along with some bitterness, elevating both cider and paella.
Perry
Pair with goat cheese, Sockeye salmon, lemon artichoke pasta, boat docks, daydreams
WHAT MAKES IT WORK
A semi-dry perry pairs with local goat cheese to offer a match of intensities and in a regional pairing. The flavorful, but mild cheese is enhanced by the flavorful but mild perry, neither overpowering the other. The shared terroir of the pear orchards and pastures where the goats are raised offers a taste of place.
A semi-sweet perry pairs with honey glazed Sockeye salmon offering complementary flavors. The rich flavors of the salmon add complexity to the dish while the honey glaze offers a matched sweetness to the perry.
A sweet perry pairs with a lemon artichoke pasta offering contrast. The rich pasta with savory artichokes and bright, tart lemon contrasts with the sweet, fruity notes of the perry. The acidity of the lemon helps cut the richness of the pasta and increases the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the perry.
Fortified Cider
Pairs with salted caramels, hazelnut torte, blue cheese, fireside chats, late nights
WHAT MAKES IT WORK
An apple port pairs with salted caramels, offering a sweet and salty contrast. The saltiness of the carmels contrasts with the sweetness of the port, increasing the perception of body in the port. The sweetness in the caramels and in the port also complement one another.
A pommeau pairs with a dark chocolate hazelnut torte, offering complementary flavors. The sweetness of the torte decreases the perception of sweetness in the pommeau. The intensities of rich chocolate and apple brandy notes are also matched.
An ice cider pairs with blue cheese to offer contrast. The saltiness of the blue cheese contrasts the sweetness of the ice cider, increasing the perception of body in the ice cider. The intensities of the strong cheese and rich ice cider are also matched.
