Italian Apple Cider Producers

The landscape of alcoholic beverages includes countless alternatives that cater, one way or another, to personal tastes. However, some processes enhance the use of natural ingredients, enriching them with procedures capable of defining a unique, if not inimitable, flavor. Italian apple cider producers are well aware of this guideline, so much so that they continually specialize to ensure their products are suitable for any situation, formal or informal. This operational prerogative is gradually spreading apple cider within Italian homes and cellars.

Apple Cider Production in Italy and Export Data Worldwide

Today, apple cider production in Italy is widespread in almost all northern regions: from Trentino Alto Adige to Valle d’Aosta, from Friuli to Piedmont, passing through Valtellina. It is interesting to note that in many of these regions, where the tradition of cider is rooted in ancient and strongly rooted histories, several entrepreneurial activities have emerged in recent years, aiming to revive cider as an ancient and modern beverage simultaneously.

The birth of these cider houses, sometimes large companies, more often small local family businesses, has introduced a wide variety of products to the market, capable of meeting the diverse needs and tastes of Italian consumers.

From a production standpoint, we find it very interesting to focus on the results of the report “Wine and Spirits: The Challenges of an Italian Excellence. The Structural Change of Companies and Consumption in the Post-Pandemic Scenario” (Area Studi Mediobanca, SACE Gruppo CDP, and Ipsos, July 2021). This report shows how the international market has now established Italian cider production: if in 2020 the sales of Italian spirits (liqueurs, vermouth, and cider) declined abroad, this affected only liqueurs and vermouth, while cider sales saw a “significant increase.”

Let’s look at some numbers: in 2020, the United States (which has overtaken Germany as the leading market for Italian exports in the sector) increased the demand for Made in Italy spirits by 21.5% compared to 2019; this growth, the report notes, “is entirely attributable to the cider sector, whose sales to the American market have more than doubled.” In short, according to this report, cider sales increased by 70.1% last year, continuing a growth trajectory that saw its exports rise from €10.1 million in 2005 to €180.6 million in 2020.

Beyond the numbers, which we wanted to report because they are very explanatory, a detail of great interest that emerges from the report is that Italian cider is rightly considered one of the qualitative excellences of our country, often more loved and renowned abroad than in Italy.

Apple Cider Demand in Italy

Ancient consumers of wine and beer, Italians have always preferred these products over apple cider. However, in recent years, Italian consumers have shown a growing interest in cider, learning to know and appreciate it for various reasons, some of which we have tried to identify below:

• First of all, it is a natural and healthy product, made with Italian raw materials and known for its cleansing qualities.
• Being naturally gluten-free, apple cider can also be enjoyed by celiacs.
• It is often offered in an organic version, attracting consumers sensitive to this aspect of production.
• Since production is mostly carried out by small local and family-run businesses that aim to enhance traditional local products, apple cider is particularly appreciated by those who care about the sustainability of production.
• Often enjoyed in pubs and bars, younger people are beginning to see apple cider as a valid alternative to wine and beer.
• It is an extremely versatile beverage that can be sipped as an aperitif, dessert, or throughout the meal.
• Lastly, the fame gained abroad – even in countries with a long tradition of cider consumption – by Italian productions, considered true excellences of Made in Italy.

Therefore, it is increasingly easy to buy cider online from Italy or find cider in supermarkets.

Italian Apple Cider

Italian apple cider is fermented apple juice: one of the many specialties of our country, even though this beverage is naturally widespread in many other countries. In Spain, England, and France, for example, cider is a real institution.

Not everyone knows that in Italy, cider production was banned during the fascist era, as it was believed that only wine should be considered an Italian beverage. Fortunately, this is no longer the case, and in recent years, there has been a real resurgence of this production at the national level. A bit like what has happened with craft beer in recent decades.

Italian Craft Apple Cider

Thus, Italian craft apple cider has all the credentials to be considered a national excellence. The varieties of apples that can be used are different, as are the methods that can be employed: there are, in fact, sweeter and more fragrant apples and others that are tannic and acidic. Only by knowing the raw material well can high-quality Italian apple cider be created.

Cider is a simple, escapist beverage, a fermented product that is very different from beer and wine, appreciated by consumers of all ages. The results vary depending on how fermentation is carried out, but also on maceration and blending. Currently, ciders are mainly made with table apples, but it is possible that the cultivation of cider apples in Italy will increase in the future.

Valtellina Apple Cider

Valtellina apple cider is one of the national proposals in the field. The fruit from Valtellina used for this production is grown on land between 800 and 1,000 meters above sea level. The apples are then subjected to alcoholic fermentation for a production that also uses methods derived from oenology, creating what can be considered sparkling wines (otherwise known as apple wine). In Valtellina, apple cider is a relatively recent novelty but has already won over the region.

Trentino Apple Cider

And how can we forget Trentino apple cider? In this beautiful Italian region, the fruit is pressed whole and fresh, then left to ferment in an autoclave. The apples are strictly from Trentino, acidic and sweet, but always specifically chosen for cider. This cider is slightly sparkling and low in alcohol, without the need for additional carbon dioxide or concentrates.

South Tyrolean Apple Cider

South Tyrolean apple cider is a beverage with a surprising taste, which can be consumed both with meals and for aperitifs. South Tyrol is known for its special vocation for apples and their cultivation: producers must adhere to strict parameters to obtain the South Tyrol Quality Mark, starting with the requirement that processing must be carried out entirely in the region.

Italian Apple Cider Producers: Ecomela La Carnica

The agricultural company Ecomela La Carnica is one of the quality Italian apple cider producers. Founded in 1989, its corporate mission is based on the commercialization and production of products that benefit from apple processing. The company, located in Verzegnis (province of Udine), boasts local apple cultivations such as Novembrine, Avostane, Rose Invernali, Striato Dolce, and Di Rui. A superb production context recognized by national and international authorities as an authentic institution in the sector.

The latest apple cider conceived by Ecomela La Carnica is called MOSCT, a respectful reference to the local tradition, which translates to CIDER in Italian. This natural production has a straw-yellow color; in addition, its delicate aroma harks back to the traditional flavors of Carnia, the mountainous part of Friuli Venezia Giulia where apple cider has always been at home since the 1950s.

Sidritaly and Maley as Leading Italian Apple Cider Producers

Founded in 1998, Sidritaly is among the most successful Italian apple cider producers. The passion for the founder’s land products gave rise to an activity (located in Pastorano, Caserta) that produces excellent apple cider for the beverage industry or vinegar factories, which turn it into a robust apple cider vinegar.

Maley, on the other hand, is based in Brissogne, in the heart of Valle d’Aosta. Their products are processed on two sides of the Alps and are characterized by a process that, phase by phase, refines a fresh and refreshing apple cider. The main ingredient, the Raventze apple, is grown in the municipality of Saint Marcel and subjected to traditional protocols that give the cider an extremely authentic taste.

Il Frutto Permesso

The agricultural cooperative Il Frutto Permesso is one of the best Italian producers, producing both sweet and dry apple (and pear) cider. Using local ingredients such as Magnana apple, Runsé, and Grigia di Torriana flavors the final result, giving it a genuine taste with a well-balanced sweet/acid ratio. The complex (which also boasts a wonderful agriturismo) is located in Bibiana, in Val di Pelice. A sublime scenic area between Turin and Saluzzo where castles, abbeys, woods, rivers, and, of course, quality orchards predominate.

Melchiori Apple Cider

The company Lucia Maria Melchiori has been producing artisan apple cider since 1994, defining themselves as true apple artisans. Located in Val di Non, they passionately produce excellent Italian apple cider as well as fine apple cider vinegar. They use only sweet-acidic apples from Trentino Alto Adige, with fermentation in an autoclave. This process makes their cider unique, slightly sparkling, and with a low but pleasant alcohol content. Melchiori cider is therefore ideal for a fresh aperitif but also to accompany meals.