Perry is the pear-made counterpart to hard apple cider: an alcoholic drink produced by fermenting pear juice.
Traditional perry is associated especially with England’s West Country, including Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. It is also made in parts of Wales, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In French-speaking regions, a comparable drink is called poiré. Perry is usually made from specially cultivated perry pears, which can contain more tannins and acidity than ordinary dessert pears and produce a more complex drink.
Although people often say “pear cider,” the traditional English term is perry. The drink can range from dry and tannic to sweet and lightly sparkling, with many examples containing about 5% to 8% alcohol by volume. It should not be confused with pear juice, pear wine or distilled pear spirits such as eau-de-vie. The fruit, fermentation method and regional tradition all affect its flavor and name.
Perry has deep agricultural roots because old orchards in western England preserved pear varieties specifically suited to pressing and fermentation.