The latest attempt to introduce upmarket ciders that will compete against wines in the long drinks market has come from market leader Bulmers. The industry has tried before to produce quality table ciders in 75cl bottles suitable for occasions when wine is usually chosen by consumers, but success has been limited. Now Bulmers has come out with two new lightly sparkling table ciders under the Harvest label. Elwyn Gladstone of the cidermaker's innovations unit said: "These are different because we have applied winemaking techniques to them. They are cold fermented and fruit driven like New World wines, and they are approachable." One of the styles, Gisbourne, has the point of difference of coming from New Zealand, from Bulmers' operation there. The plan is to introduce other ciders from around the world from its other interests in the US, Australia, Belgium, China and South Africa. Gladstone said: "Our research shows that as people drink more wine they are interested in cider that is a more refreshing long drink without the alcohol strength of wine. "Attempts in the past have been saddled with old cider world cues of rustic ploughmen and ancient orchards. "We approached the concept differently. We see this as an intriguing trade up for people who are unsure of wine. "Previous products have also not identified the occasions when they should be drunk. The Harvest range will carry neck tags that deal with this issue." He is also encouraging the multiples to site Harvest with other lower alcohol long drinks such as Arbor Mist and Limonescu. So far Asda and Tesco have agreed to do this. The launch will be supported with sampling activities and a free refund for consumers if they do not like it. The 75cl bottles of Harvest will retail at £2.99 and Gladstone has a tentative sales target for each variant of 40,000 cases over the next 12 months. {{DRINKS }}

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