Ross-On-Wye’s Medium Dry Still Perry is an uncarbonated, farmhouse Perry from the UK made from Perry pears. It’s slightly funky, complex, and–in this reviewer’s opinion–delicious.

This Perry pours a light straw with some hints of green; the first thing I noticed was a slight barnyard funk on the nose when pouring it, foreshadowing the phenols that followed.

The flavor is very smooth–predominantly cooked pear and apple, with moderate phenols and just a little bit of sweetness to balance things out. There is definitely farmyard character here, but not so much as to get in the way of the underlying fruit.

There was also a slight hint of butter like you sometimes get in red wines, as well as a nice, lingering hint of astringency on the back end from the tannins imparted by the Perry-specific pears comprising it.

Overall, this Perry was highly complex, but not in the confusing way I’ve sometimes encountered; rather, you can linger and pick apart the flavor components over time and enjoy yourself. I sure did!

The Traditional Perry comes from Ross-On-Wye, which also produces some excellent farmhouse ciders such as the Medium Dry Cider that I reviewed previously.

These traditional, English farmhouse ciders and perries contrast significantly with the tart, young fruit character of ‘new world’ American Perry such as Pearsnickity. Both are worthy and interesting in their own right, but they are very different creatures. Try some of both and see–and taste–for yourself!

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