Basel Cider Festival 2026

Location: Markthalle, Steinentorberg 20, Basel. Date: October 17, 2026; 13:30-21:30. They have held the cider festival there for 20 years.

There were 47 ciders on offer! I managed 15. Also some alcohol-free and apfelsaft. Most makers charged CHF2-3 for a sample. Stallmach & Ruch and Les Cidres du Léman gave free samples.

Stallmach & Ruch Bohnapfel Sauergrauech Tobiässler Berner Rose Blauacher Neunkirch 2025. Maker calls this his house blend. Lightly cloudy pale yellow with a light old apple bouquet. Initial light sweetness and fresh apple with a light astringent finish. 4.3% ABV. My rating 7.5/10.

Trois-Lacs Ciders. Located in the area around Gerolfingen. An iced cider made from two apple varieties. Unlike County Cider’s Ice Cider, they freeze the juice rather than the apples. Dark amber like some apple juices. Strong oldish apple bouquet. Initially sweet but then stronger apple flavour cones forward. Intense but not as sweet as County Cider’s version. Not so sweet that it couldn’t be drunk on its own, probably because of the high alcohol content. Maker told me they ferment to about 9% then add apple spirit to bring it up to 12.5% ABV, though it doesn’t taste that strong. My rating 7.5/10.

Mohl Dry Hopped. Pale yellow with light yeasty bouquet! Light apple that finishes drier. Refreshing. 6% ABV. My rating 7/10.

Les Cidres du Léman Cidre Boskoop 2023. Located in Lausanne, they note that they also are available in Vevey. A gold medal winner in 2024. Pale yellow colour with light apple bouquet. Intial light apple with aftertaste a hint of tart cherry. They sell their products in Vevey (as well as Lausanne). 5.5% ABV. My rating 6.5/10. 

Incider Cloudy Apple. Cloudy medium amber with a very faint boquet. Light sourish apple with a very faint old apple finish. 4.8% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Engishofer Cidre IX Reinsortig 2025. Cloudy dark amber. Medium old apple bouquet. Initial off-dry with lingering light old apple finishes with a distinct mouth enveloping dryness. Very good for its type but drier than I like. 7.0% ABV. My rating 7/10.

Guillaume Sweet Simplon. For a so-called sweet cider it is only semi and what an average drinker might call dry. Colour is medium cloudy amber with s light apple bouquet. It is initially lightly sweet - a nice fresh apple taste. Finishes dry with a light astringency. This cider won a gold medal in 2024. 5.5% ABV. My rating 9/10.

Incider Dry. Medium yellow colour with a medium apple bouquet. Initially very dry that hits with a light astringency. Light on apple flavour. 5.5% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Pietro Triacca Cidre Mele Sparkling. Located in Poschiavo Valley in the Canton of Grison. Very effervescent. Light apple bouquet. Medium apple taste just off dry. S nice fresh apple taste. ABV. My rating 7/10.

Pommebastich Vranja Quince. Located in Kräiligen. Vranja is the variety of quince used in this cider. The maker notes that they grow five varieties of quince. Made from quince and apple. This sparkling cider is cloudy yellow with sediment. Bouquet is a pronounced quince-pear. Initial taste is off-dry with a little astringency but lower fruit taste than in the bouquet. Finishes dry. 4.0% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Heftig Poiré 2024 Sparkling. Light amber slightly cloudy. Musty apple bouquet with a hint of pear. Taste is intially woody apple and pear that finishes drier with a woody aftertaste. 4.5% ABV. My rating 5/10. [I need to re-rate my earler low ratings from Georgia — and lower them. At least this one was drinkable though barely.]

Mohl Heimenhofer. Made from only the Heimenhofer, a Swiss apple. Pale yellow colour. Light medium apple bouquet. Initially a nice light apple with a light dryness that envelopes the mouth with the apple and a lingering light apple taste. One of the best ciders I’ve tried. 5.0% ABV. My rating 9.5/10.

Les Cidres du Léman Poire 2024. See pic. Located in Lausanne, they note that they also are available in Vevey. Very pale yellow with a dry astringent bouquet. Initial very dry with no noticeable fruit. Dry finish. 6.0% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Stallmach & Ruch Belle de Boskoop Waldkirch 2025. A sparkling cider with a medium yellow colour with a light apple bouquet. Light effervescence with a tart oldish apple finish. 4.3% ABV. My rating 7.5/10.

Stallmach & Ruch Quitte Apfelquitte Pastorenbirne Bohnapfel Neunkirch 2025. Sparkling quince. Pale yellow with pronounced fruit forward bouquet. Intially quite sweet with a light pear taste that finishes fruitier. My first quice cider. 4.5% ABV. My rating 8/10.