Aroma: There is a pear character, but not obviously fruity. It tends toward that of a young white wine. Some slight bitterness.
Appearance: Slightly cloudy to clear. Generally quite pale.
Flavor: There is a pear character, but not obviously fruity. It tends toward that of a young white wine. Some slight bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Relatively full, moderate to high tannin apparent as astringency.
Impression: Tannic. Medium to medium-sweet. Still to lightly sparkling. Only very slight acetification is acceptable. Mousiness and ropy/oily characters are serious faults.
Comments: Note that a dry perry may give an impression of sweetness due to sorbitol in the pears, and perception of sorbitol as sweet is highly variable from one person to the next. Hence entrants should specify sweetness according to actual residual sugar amount, and judges must be aware that they might perceive more sweetness than how the perry was entered.
Varieties: Butt, Gin, Brandy, Barland, Blakeney Red, Thorn, Moorcroft, etc.
Entry Instructions: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level (3 levels). Entrants MUST specify sweetness (5 categories). Entrants MUST state variety of pear(s) used.
Commercial Examples: [US] Æppeltreow Orchard Oriole Perry (WI); [France] Bordelet Poire Authentique and Poire Granit, Christian Drouin Poire, [UK] Oliver’s Classic, Blakeney Red, and Herefordshire Dry; Hogan’s Vintage Perry