The design of packaging goes a long way to selling a product and the arrangement of pears on this Saxton Pear Cider caught our eye. This pear cider uses the succulent pears grown in Nelson, a popular fruit growing district known for its sunny weather in New Zealand. These were the same pears used in the Whittaker’s Nelson Pear & Manuka Honey in Milk Chocolate, a collection of chocolate celebrating local ingredients.
The cider is a transparent straw colour with a sweet pear nose and lightly carbonated. Consumed ice-cold, sweet notes of pear came through ahead of a bitterness before blending with pear notes that return more tart towards the end of the body with a floral finish. Overall, the flavour has pronounced notes of alcohol and lacked the crisp and dry, yet flavourful qualities of a cider made from Packham Pears like the one by The Cider Lab.
This Saxton Pear Cider contained 330ml. It was bottled in New Zealand and was purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2017.