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What or if is the difference between apple wine and apple cider?
I am not able to find an answer on this subject
Ron,
I'm new to the cider thing myself, but I believe the difference comes from what original product you start with...apple juice produces apple wine, and apple cider makes "hard" apple cider...
According to wikipedia, apple cider is a type of apple juice that is pressed from early season apples which are less sweet and more acidic than later season apples. This gives cider its more tart, tangy taste than what one gets from apple juice. Cider may be filtered or unfiltered.
If the only difference between apple juice and cider is the level of naturally occurring sugar, is there a significant difference in hard cider made with apple cider and that made with apple juice? I would think the excess sugar in the juice would simply be metabolized by the yeast.
Well IMHO those answer made it even less clear. I haven't ever come across apple wine, if I did I would just look at the ingrediants. Cider is made from apples, I suspect apple wine is still made largey from grape but with apple juice added for flavor. Although, frankly, I am having trouble seeing it as a good idea.
I've had apple wine and it was all apple.
In looking at Wikipedia again, they define "apfelwein" (German for apple wine) as a form of apple cider with an alcohol content between 5.5 & 7%. However, this same source calls non-grape wines fruit wines, and wine as having an alcohol content of 10%-20%. By this definition, I think one could call a fermented apple beverage with an alcohol content of 10% or more an apple wine.
So apple wine as exactly the same as apple cider? There must surely have been something that made you call your product wine instead? Is it the production process or just 'pick the word you like best'?
According to Wikipedia, if I read correctly, ciders have an alcohol content to about 7%, while wines are higher. This was borne out by a quick web search; several sites stated that ciders have less alcohol than wines including the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission website that defines cider as having an alcohol content of 6% or less. It further states "Cider greater than 6% alcohol by volume is classified as an unfortified wine..."
Chester Hill Winery's website states that above 8% alcohol is a wine, so it appears there is some flexibility on what the breakoff is between a cider and a wine. I can't vouch for the veracity of these websites, but they seem to agree that there IS a difference between the two.
So it's not a matter of which word I like, just a matter of how much alcohol the beverage contains 
I'm not so familiar of apple cider. Thank's guys for all your info at least I'm aware now about it.
ApfelWien is primarily produced in Frankfurt, Germany... And a few outlying regions..
It has a sharp, slightly bitter taste, not sweet like american apple drinks. I STRONGLY
recommend trying it though, the recipe is simple, and the results outstanding. It is slightly
an acquired flavor, but then again beer is as well for a lot of people . I actually quite
drinking beer in Frankfurt it was so tasty! Also, the commercial variety is usually more like 7-9%.
Heres a basic recipe---
Ingredients
5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives, organics good) I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast
Equipment
5 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel
1. First sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.
2. Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.
3. Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice. Shake well.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
5. Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.
6. Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
7. Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.
8. Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
9. Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka. No bacteria will live in vodka and if you get suckback, you just boosted the abv.
There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast. There is no Kreuzen, just a thin layer of bubbles. I'm able to fit all but 4 oz. of my five gallons in the bottle. Ferment at room temperature.
It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks. In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear. After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary.
If you want to bottle and carbonate, ¾ cup of corn sugar will work fine. Use as you would carbonate a batch of beer.
One way to serve is 7/8 glass apfelwien, 1/8 sparkling water... Refreshing, tasty on a summer day!
Almost the same as my recipe only change the corn sugar for 3-6 lbs. light honey and carbonate for a sparkling cyser. Add a little cinnamon and the girls will love it!
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