This materially affects the flavour of the finished drink. Cider apples contain high levels of tannins and significant amounts of malic acid. These are not found to significant levels in dessert apples. This is not apparent in apple wine. The final distinction is the alcohol content.
Apple wines can commonly have higher alcohol contents.
These wines will inevitably have been fermented using wine yeasts, not natural or ale yeasts, since only wine yeasts are tolerant to the high alcohol levels. The wine yeasts will impart their own flavour profile to the apple wine, moving it further away from a true cider. Note that in some countries the distinctions may be regulated by law on the basis of alcohol content alone. This document is maintained by Gillian Grafton and was last modified on 18 December 1995. If you have any comments please advise her.