For more than a decade, hard cider has been marketed — with uneven results — to Americans as an alternative to beer. In the 1990s, ciders like Woodchuck and Cider Jack surfed the microbrew wave and became tap-handle standards in many bars, right alongside the IPAs, the heiferweizens, and the oatmeal stouts.

That approach has unfortunately relegated cider to a weird sort of alternative universe, a netherworld where beverages like Zima, Mike's Hard Lemonade, and Smirnoff Ice reside — you know, the kinds of drinks that marketing folks try to push on "the kids" or "the ladies." And unfortunately, that's the area where cider has stayed; we don't know too many actual beer lovers who will give up their suds for the apple stuff.

Once upon a time, in the early days of the United States, cider was the alcoholic beverage of choice, mainly because apples were cheaper and easier to come by than the grains and grapes with which the Europeans made their liquor. By the 17th century, cider often took the place of water, which was considered to be unsafe. Cider still ruled until the end the 19th century, when temperance movement zealots began chopping down entire apple orchards, "unable to conceive of any other use for the fruit except spirits," according to the Laird's Applejack Cookbook. For almost a century, ciders all but disappeared from the American bar. The most tragic loss were the many varieties of cider apples, which are very different than apples you'd eat from the fruit bowl. In parts of France, those varieties still flourish, but they are only recently returning to the U.S.

We find all of this a shame, and this fall we'd like to change this mindset and rescue real cider from the fringes. During a recent tasting panel, we sampled 15 ciders from the U.S., U.K., and France and none of us predicted just how much variety we would experience — from the clean, refreshing notes of British Aspall to the elegant, Champagne-like Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouche to an American cider like Farnum Hill Extra Dry, which hits some of the same crisp, snappy notes as, say, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

We arrived at a small but significant idea: Instead of thinking of cider as a substitute to beer, think of it in place of wine. In many cases it pairs better with food than beer, especially complementing the types of foods served during fall and winter holidays. Good cider stands up to big-flavor meats, pungent cheeses, and other savory fare. Our favorites are as follows:

	Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouche The overall favorite of the tasting, Etienne Dupont's is a masterful blend of cider (as opposed to eating) apples with a higher than usual 7% abv. We’re not kidding when we compare this cider to fine Champagne. The tiny, sparkling bubbles, the yeasty and ripe fruit aroma, and the intense yet round apple flavor was appreciated by everyone on the panel. At about $10 for a 750 ml bottle, this could easily replace a mediocre wine for everyday drinking.		Farnum Hills Another winner, New Hampshire’s Farnum Hills, is one of the few domestic ciders that uses real cider apples. The blend results in a sophisticated wine-like experience, and also the most expensive at around $13 for 750 ml bottle. All four of their ciders run from  6-7% abv, dry and sharp; the complex aromatics redolent of the whole apple, including the peel, are out of this world. Both the Farmhouse Cider and the Semi-Dry were favorites; opinions were mixed, however, on the Extra-Dry. For some, this was the highest expression of cider’s potential. Others disagreed. “Too little apple, too much like wine,” one taster suggested.
	Aspall In most cases, the ciders with slightly more alcohol content also delivered more flavor. So it was with Aspall Dry and Aspall Organic, both beautiful ciders from the UK and clocking in at 6.8% abv. The Dry was a particular favorite of the panel: Sweet apple pie aroma and sharp flavor, but balanced by a creaminess and even a musky taste of apple peel. Very focused and refined with a crisp, light fizz.		J.K. Scrumpy's On this organic cider from Michigan, the panel was split. Some thought the caramel/apple pie nose was overwhelming, that the color was too unclear and murky and that it was cloying at the front. But several others singled this out as a favorite, and liked the unfiltered quality. “This is a real apple taste,” said one. “It reminds me of being at a campfire.”
	Woodchuck One of the most popular domestic brands, its four varieties were very disappointing. Woodchuck Amber, the original and the best of the bunch, was mostly acidic tang and little else. Very little true apple taste. Granny Smith has almost no discernible aroma and very little apple flavor. "Who needs cider lite?" someone asked. And the 802 Dark & Dry is not really all that dry. It's a shame these are most drinkers' introduction to cider.		Woodpecker This UK cider did have very subtle apple flavor, and was not as acidic as Woodchuck. Very strong nose — "cheese-like" is what one taster called it. Clean and light in alcohol, (4.2%) but goes a little flat in the mouth, which is a letdown. In the words of one taster: "Meh. Would be fine with my burrito, I guess."
	Magner's Original This Irish cider boasted a unique peach color, which caused mixed reactions. The reaction to the aroma was mixed, too. "Whoah, WTF is that smell? Sour? Unpure?" said one taster. Served alone it was cloyingly sweet, but our opinion improved quite a bit when we tried Magners with food. It was particularly balanced when paired with salty items.		Samuel Smith's Organic This cider, from the famed UK brewery, defined the divide on the tasting panel between those who prefered sweet and those who liked dry. Very thick, viscous, and foamy (but only 5% abv) it was complex, and had taste that some considered tasty and others way too sweet, with a fermented aftertaste that the dry-lovers did not enjoy.
	Cider Jack One of the first wave of ciders from the 1990s, Vermont’s Cider Jack (5% abv) did not impress. “Unremarkable and thin,” said one panelist. “Sugary, but not much apple taste,” said another. One taster, however, called this “a decent afternoon cider.”		Strongbow The all-around favorite of the ciders regularly found in bars, Strongbow had a nice color and apple smell.  Although tasters complained that it was flatter than they'd like and that it left a slight sugar-coating to the teeth, it was incredibly drinkable.

Jason Wilson is editor of The Smart Set. He also edits The Best American Travel Writing series (Houghton Mifflin) and writes the Spirits column for the Washington Post.

Owen Hatteras is Table Matters' test kitchen editor.

Photographs by Mike Bucher, "Booze" photograph by Lynn Brownlie and Mike Bucher, "Bottle" photograph from istockphoto.com.