A strong cider made by adding neutral sugar to raise the starting gravity, pushing the alcohol well above an ordinary cider while finishing like a dry white wine. Built on apples plus flavorless sugar — no other fruit — it is typically 9–12% ABV, straw to medium gold, fruity and floral with low astringency and noticeable alcohol.
In the glass
Origin
Applewine is a strong cider built not on special apples or cold concentration but on added sugar: by chaptalizing the juice — raising its gravity with flavorless sugar — the cidermaker pushes the alcohol toward wine strength while keeping the result fruity and dry. It is a modern craft category with little distinct documented history of its own, distinguished from New England cider (which uses flavorful adjuncts like brown sugar, molasses, and raisins) by its use of neutral sugar purely for strength. Despite the name and a common confusion, it is unrelated to German Apfelwein, which is simply the German word for ordinary cider.
Notes
The point of applewine is strength achieved cleanly: the added sugar lifts the alcohol without leaving residual sweetness or its own flavor, so a dry applewine tastes like a crisp, high-strength white wine made from apples. It differs from ice cider, which reaches similar gravities by concentrating the juice rather than by adding sugar, and which stays sweet. Distilled or fortified apple products are a different thing entirely and do not belong here.
Defining examples
Æppeltreow Autumn Glory Apple Wine·McClure’s Sweet Apple Wine·1911 Established Empire Dry Applewine