Food & Cider
Cider’s combination of acidity, fruit, tannin, sweetness and carbonation makes it one of the most versatile drinks to pair with food.
How to Pair Cider
Acidity Cuts Through Richness
Try dry cider with pork, fried food, creamy sauces, rich cheese and roast poultry.
Sweetness Can Calm Heat
Try an off-dry or fruit-forward cider with spicy barbecue, curries, hot wings, tacos and dishes with chili or ginger.
Tannin Likes Protein & Cheese
Try structured heritage cider with aged cheddar, charcuterie, roast pork, sausages, mushrooms and roasted vegetables.
Match Sweet With Sweet
Canadian ice cider is particularly well suited to apple desserts, crème brûlée, blue cheese, aged cheese, maple desserts and fruit tarts.
What Are You Eating?
Cheese
- Fresh & soft: bright dry or sparkling cider.
- Cheddar: structured dry or heritage cider.
- Blue cheese: ice cider or another rich sweet cider.
Pork & Sausage
- Roast pork: dry sparkling cider.
- Sausage: tannic heritage cider.
- Barbecue pork: off-dry cider.
- Slow-cooked pork: barrel-aged cider.
Poultry
- Roast chicken: dry cider.
- Roast turkey: heritage cider.
- Cranberry dishes: fruit-forward cider.
- Fried chicken: sparkling cider.
Seafood
- Oysters & mussels: bright, dry cider.
- Lobster & scallops: crisp sparkling cider.
- Salmon: dry cider with good acidity.
- Fish & chips: clean, refreshing dry cider.
Spicy Food
- Best direction: fruit, aromatics and a little sweetness.
- Try: off-dry or fruit-forward cider to soften intense heat.
Vegetarian Dishes
- Roasted vegetables: dry or heritage cider.
- Squash & mushrooms: structured or barrel-aged cider.
- Curries: aromatic, slightly off-dry cider.
A Canadian Cider Table
Welcome
Dry sparkling cider with cheese, oysters or small appetizers.
Main Course
Dry or structured heritage cider with poultry, pork, sausage, mushrooms or roasted vegetables.
Dessert
Canadian ice cider with apple dessert, maple flavours, blue cheese or simply on its own.
Try These Pairings
Apple Pie + Ice Cider
Concentrated apple character echoes the fruit in the pie while acidity helps keep the combination balanced.
Salmon + Dry Cider
A bright, crisp cider cuts through the richness of salmon without overwhelming its flavour.
Sausage + Heritage Cider
Tannin, acidity and apple character make structured cider an excellent partner for grilled or roasted sausage.
Canadian Cheese + Cider
Build a tasting board with a dry sparkling cider, structured heritage cider and ice cider, then compare how each cheese changes.
Cook With Cider
Cider can deglaze pans, braise pork, poach fruit, build sauces, add acidity to soups, make vinaigrette, flavour desserts and add depth to gravy.