REVIEW:
Before wine was available readily by the glass cider was one of the few options to beer, but my love of cider came from trips to Normandy and Brittany where it can be enjoyed with ripe creamy local Camembert and a crusty baguette watching the waves roll into rugged bays and kilometer deep beaches where the tide rushes to recapture the sand. Most commercial Australian cider lacked authentic cider character, being mass produced from apples never destined for anything but fruit and soft juice. So we went in search of what was available and tasted everything we could source in a comprehensive look at whatýs on the market. Those that impressed were artisan producers who used cider apple varieties either straight or in blends that captured the essence of the authentic product. Sadly the imported products involved mostly showed poor storage and failed to impress although we had seen them in better condition elsewhere.
There were a number of ciders that were clean and fresh - alcoholic apple juice - that would provide pleasure and refreshment but not a lot of interest; a bit like a simple, cheap quaffable wine. But the makers Bress, Henry of Harcourt and Kellybrook led the charge with most of their products scoring very good points and showing authentic character. It was no surprise that these all use apple varieties that are designated for that use.
Some makers obviously trying to achieve distinctive character also showed various cider-making faults and there were some unpleasant ciders in the tasting line-up.
Check the tasting notes in the Wines & Spirits guide.
Asian foods