If it sometimes seems like traditional apple-based ciders are an endangered species in England, traditional pear-based perries can seem like almost mythical beasts. If you look closely at the official names of cider companies, you often see “and Perry” dangling at the end (for example, “Ross-on-Wye Cider and Perry”)—but they are definitely the minority partner. Even someone as committed to perry as Tom Oliver can only manage to find enough pears to make it a quarter of his total production. The market is growing rapidly, and customers would buy much more perry if the makers could produce it. That they can’t, hints at the challenges and joys that are good traditional perry.

Well-made perries are spectacular, easily the equal of cider, and sometimes its superior. (Tom Oliver recently won best in show for a perry at a national contest where they were outnumbered by ciders three to one.) Oliver’s perries are elegant and finely wrought little creatures, characteristic as much for their pillowy softness as their flavor. I noticed it immediately in his bottle-conditioned Dry Perry. The word that sprang to mind was “meringue”—both for the bright flavors and mousse-like texture. Red Pear Cocktail perry has a poached-pear flavor and light delicacy. (Both completely conceal their alcohol spines.) But perries can also be made of sterner stuff, Oliver’s bottle-conditioned Medium has tons of tannin, a bit of

herb in the nose, and a touch of blue cheese. It’s more like Mike Johnson’s perries; Mike’s have a sturdier farmhouse quality, with burnished tannins (they seem softer in pears than apples), more alcohol warmth, and a hint of wild yeast. Those who love smacking tannins found in English ciders would approve of them. Whether delicate and soft or big and burly, they’re great perries.

To produce these excellent tipples, though, is no easy task. Perry pear trees are much larger than cider trees and take fifteen to twenty years before they begin producing regular crops. (Thus do cider-makers say, “pears for your heirs.”) In the three-counties region—Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire—farmers have been trying new dwarf stock to see if those will fruit more quickly. “The smaller trees?” says Oliver. “There’s a few people putting in quite a decent amount. Well, they’ve got to five years and there’s not much sign of fruit yet.” Beyond that, trees are prone to pests and disease and, due to their size, are harder to harvest.

Once the trees do begin to fruit, the problems are far from done. Perry pears have a small window of ripeness; and when they come in, apples have to wait. And of course, the different varieties don’t mature at the same moment, complicating pressing schedules. Pears have their own yeasts, like apples, but they are more prone to bacteriological contamination and the fermentation takes longer. On the tree or off, pears are just more bother than apples.

The pears are slightly different than apples, too. They have more sugar, so the juice has more potential alcohol strength. They also have more tannin and acid. Chris Hecks, making a face as he spoke, described them as “horrible.” He continued, “You bite into one and it just dries your mouth out.” Pears have a kind of sugar called sorbitol that doesn’t ferment, so even dry perries have residual sweetness there is more citric acid than in apples—and in some pears, there’s more citric acid than malic acid. That also adds to the complications; the citric acid is more prone to converting to harsh acetic acid (the acid in vinegar) given the right circumstances. When all these different elements come together, you end up with a drink that is simultaneously luxurious yet delicate and complex yet approachable. Trouble is, they don’t always come together.

Despite the complications, it’s no wonder that orchardists and cider-makers are betting on perry’s future. Pear trees may be slow and harder to grow, and perries slow and harder to make. You can’t argue with the results, though. “There’s a huge market for perry,” Tom Oliver believes—“but it’s a market that will just have to be patient.”