What is Natural Cider?!?

(The orchard version of natural wine.)

If you’re into natural wine, natural cider should be on your list too. The same philosophy applies, only the fruit is different. Instead of grapes you’ve got apples and pears, pressed and left to ferment with nothing but their own wild yeasts. The result is a drink that’s just as alive, expressive and unpredictable as the wines we love.

The Basics

Natural cider in Belgium starts with local orchards and hand-harvested fruit. The apples and pears are pressed into fresh juice and left to ferment slowly with their native yeasts. No concentrate, no added sugar, no lab yeast, no pasteurization. If it sparkles, that’s because of natural fermentation in the bottle, not added gas. What you taste is pure orchard fruit, transformed by time and nothing else.

What’s Left Out

Most commercial ciders are built with shortcuts: sweeteners, stabilizers and artificial fizz. Natural cider avoids all of that. What you get in the bottle is fruit, fermentation and patience, nothing more.

Why It Matters

Belgium has always been home to orchards, and natural cider brings that heritage back with a fresh perspective. It’s local, low-intervention and tied to the land in a way that feels both old and new at the same time.

What to Expect

Like natural wine, natural cider doesn’t aim for uniformity. Some bottles are crisp and clean, others lean funky or rustic. It might be hazy, it might be sharp, but it always tells the story of the orchard it came from.

Why We Care

For us at Amigos del Vino, Belgian natural cider feels like the perfect extension of the natty world. It’s playful, surprising and meant to be shared with friends. Another way to keep drinking honest and keep it fun.