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Lightly sparkling and faintly fruity, the traditional European drink known as perry has found an ideal production climate and a craft-beverage-loving population in the Pacific Northwest. The surge of enthusiasm for the Old World fermented pear beverage began with cider makers who were looking for new ways to use fruit, and continues to grow as drinkers fall in love with perry’s clean crispness, which nestles somewhere between Champagne and apple cider. 

Perry is made using a method similar to that for making cider, by crushing the pears and fermenting the juice with yeast. But the key to the flavor comes mainly from the pears themselves, specifically any of the many varieties known as perry pears—bitter, hard, gnarled siblings of traditional dessert pears that undergo a fairy-tale-like transformation to become this delicate drink.

“Good perry needs good pears, and ours rock,” says Jill Lightner, who served on the board of the Northwest Cider Association for many years. Washington and Oregon together produce 84 percent of the pears grown in the U.S., and many of the local perry makers have stumbled upon heirloom stashes of the tannic, nearly inedible types of pears best for making it, the fruit found growing on trees planted ages ago and, until now, going to waste. In the past five years, more and more perry has appeared on shelves. Lightner attributes this to our region being “full of nerds with fruit trees who love tinkering.”

And tinker they must, says Tim Larsen of Wenatchee-based Snowdrift Cider Co., which produces two styles of perry annually. “Perry is much more difficult to make than cider,” he explains. One reason: Pears are high in citric acid—which easily converts to vinegar during fermentation if the producer isn’t careful. But properly made perry, Larsen says, matures and softens with the aging process, resulting in a mild beverage that doesn’t scream of the fresh pears that went into it. Lightner agrees, suggesting that the best perry “needs to whisper, ‘Pssst, hey, over here, a pear,’ to get your palate’s attention, and should disappear right as you’re thinking about it.” 

That subtleness can take many forms, from the dry, tannic Finnriver version to the fruit-forward Dragon’s Head perry. Others, such as the Snowdrift Reserve, are subject to méthode champenoise for a final in-bottle fermentation, leaving the perry drier and with a bit of yeastiness. But perry remains less alcoholic than most wines, rarely going over about 8 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), and sometimes closer to beer at 5 percent. Perry, like Champagne or white wine, can fall anywhere in a range from sweet and fruity to tannic and mineral, but ultimately, most are like sheets fresh from the wash: clean, dry and pleasantly aromatic. 

The delicacy of perry requires a bit of thought when it comes to knowing what to serve it with, to avoid overwhelming the subtleties of the pear flavors. “I’ve never met a perry that didn’t benefit from being well chilled,” says Lightner. Beyond that, she generally suggests serving it with milder aged cheeses and sweeter shellfish. Perries can be hard to find at grocery stores, but larger liquor stores and specialty bottle shops will stock them. 

Nashi Ochards Imamura Aki
$25 for a four-pack of 6.7-ounce bottles. Vashon Island’s Nashi Orchards puts a unique spin on the perry genre by using Asian pears for the bulk of the flavor, in combination with perry pears for added structure. Though the initial smell is a bit sulfuric, the flavor is crisp, with hints of plum but none of the sweetness, finishing with a refreshingly sharp edge (6.7 percent ABV). Pairs with: Excellent on its own or with raw fish dishes like sushi or crudo.

Dragon’s Head Perry
$18 for 750-milliliter bottle. Another perry from Vashon, this one is a mix of Taylor’s Gold pears, English perry pears, fruit from 100-year-old homesteader trees and Vashon seedling pears. It enters with a bit of sweetness: Almond and honey flavors come forward with enthusiasm and effervescence before washing away in the lightly astringent finish (6.3 percent ABV). Pairs with: Will stand up to spice and heartiness, so go with a Thai curry.

Snowdrift Reserve Perry
$20 for 750-milliliter bottle. Made from a combination of eight different perry pears, the resulting beverage is hefty and full of fermented pear flavor. Use of the méthode champenoise mutes the sweetness and produces a juicy but balanced perry that is much like a classic apple cider in flavor and structure (8 percent ABV). Wenatchee-based Snowdrift’s other perry, a Seckel pear varietal, is also worth seeking out. Pairs with: Buttery pasta, Beecher’s Flagship cheese.