Sainsbury's Sparkling French Cider

 
Sorry - some of these names are just far too long to write into the title! It is (properly) called; Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Sparkling French Cider. Its an interesting one for me as I do like French style cider and this one is produced in France for Tesco's... which I think is rather neat. Mind, if it's their best range then I think one should expect them to pay a bit more attention to provenance etc.

So, another own brand cider. French style barring the beer bottle sized delivery (normally, French cidre comes under cork and wire). And there are some curious and possibly encouraging bits of information on the label. Although there are no ingredients listed, it does say 'made from 100% pure apple juice". Sadly, as a result of a certain Irish pear cider claim that 100% pear juice means that of the pear juice in the drink, its 100% pear juice (NOT that it is 100% juice in total) I am a bit cynical about this kind of statement. In fact, I think that it has been devalued to the extent that we must probably avoid using it - damn your eyes marketing types! Saying something has 100% of anything doesn't mean that it has 100% TOTAL of anything!

Aside from that, this cider was produced by a real, live French producer for Sainsburys. OK, not exactly earth shattering news - though I guess the fact it wasn't made by Westons or Thatchers is something! Les Celliers is a producer based in Brittany... well, only just in Brittany (just south of St Malo), but nevertheless well in French cider country. They are actually a rather large cooperative - cider is only a part of their 'agro' business (cheese, milk, veg, water etc.). Saying that, they produce over 10 million bottles per year! So, perhaps not quite the artisanal cider producer - but certainly as much as the UK 'own' producers.

On opening, this cider is foamy and fizzy. Exactly what you would expect. It is also very shiny and bright - and a brown/golden colour which actually looks very impressive. Its smell is very fruity - the cider is only 4%, so it will have been made in the normal French way by being halted at 4%. This leaves a lot of juice in the cider and as well as sweetening the drink also makes it quite juicy/fruity.

Having let the bubbles settle down a bit, I try it and. Wow. It is really nice. It is deep, quite heavy on the tannins and the fruitiness is all there. Sure, it could come across as a little syruppy - although this is probably just the juice - it isn't a safe cider though. I noted the label mentioned a 'crisp drink'. Not for me it isn't. In fact the acid is understated; giving the bitter fruit all the attention... and it is really good for it.

If I have any grumble about this, it is that it has been pasteurised too much, and filtered bright (but mostly its pasteurisation). There is a slight caramel flavour going on in the background. It isn't off putting but is noticeable.

There is a satisfyingly long aftertaste to the cider too. Actually quite drying, although the drink itself is fairly medium dry in character.

I like this cider. Its well made and presented and will give the drinker a good flavour of the French method of cider making. Sure, I have some reservations about its full juice credentials, and it has been filtered and pasteurised (which is probably more because Sainsbury's demands it rather than the producer doing it anyway... but then, what do supermarkets really understand about cider?!) If I could get them to really grapple with the idea that cider doesn't need to be pasteurised in a bottle - that they are just being far too safety conscious and prescriptive - then I would have achieved a great deal for the cider industry!!

A silver (yes, SILVER) apple for Sainsbury's Sparkling French Cider with 86/100. Very good indeed!

Sainsbury's Low Alcohol English Cider

Ha ha. So, here we have Sainsbury's low alcohol offering and just look at that - the bottle is identical to the Waitrose version and its even made in the same area of the country (there are a lot of producers in Herefordshire, so lets do our best not to make any rash assumptions). On this one, it actually says its made by H. Westons... so perhaps we have a name at least. Given that they look identical, I am not going to put long odds on these ciders being identical in taste too. No real issue with this - some people prefer Waitrose to Sainsbury's and others visa versa. I guess it does demonstrate that in our homogonised country there is absolutely no difference between supermarkets products though!

Whilst normally I would, at this point, be worrying that this review is going to be the same as the last one, I should come out at least a little in support of low alcohol alternatives. You see, cider is a mysterious beast to us Brits; we treat it like beer yet it has more in common with wine; we will happily down a few pints of cider and the consequences of this (if we are drinking real cider and not the 4% industrial stuff) are that we are some 30-40% more intoxicated. Its no wonder that I see stories of 'cider fuelled' problems in the news - although I am sure that there are just as many wine, spirits, beer or lager fueled problems.

I have said before that the Europeans treat cider more like a weak wine than a strong beer. In this position it has a more positive spin. However, with cider being controlled to beer levels by the largest commodity players in the market I doubt this will ever really change in our minds in the near future. A change in the way of thinking about cider is also hindered by those who claim to 'honour it' - whilst while beeries and beer representing organisations either don't really care about cider or else try to capture as a hostage to some kind of quasi fair deal for beer (some are meant to, others profess to support cider yet seem to have a wish bone where they ought to have a back bone!)

Nevertheless - in the UK we have NACM (who are somewhat tied to the major cider makers), the regional associations who do more to represent smaller producers and a fairly close knit group of producers who share idea's online through such groups as Cider Workshop...though it has to be said that the latter is more a mouthpiece to small producers for the former. So there is a structure for producers at least. And its NACM that are committed to removing the billion or so % points from the cider market. I am not that worried about this - after all, whole juice/full juice/ real and/or crafted cider and perry represents a fraction of the total market itself.


OK, lets get back to this Sainsbury's low alcohol cider. I am afraid this is going to be unsurprising to everyone: its 1% vol, faintly yellow yet watery looking, pours with a low carbonation and has a smell which tips its hat to proper cider. Yes, its identical to the Waitrose cider. This has happened several times before now - not exclusively with Westons (although I can immediately think of 2 or 3 others which are 'just' another name as opposed to another cider). I can also remember Thatchers producing stuff that is very close to other ciders too.

"But there is only so many varieties a producer can make". Sure. And I accept that you will get several variations of a theme from many - dry, medium, sweet, bottle conditioned, low alcohol etc. When I come across these I tend to go for one or two but don't bother with the rest. However, I do have one thought: if Weston's make this for the supermarkets, why not just call it Westons and save on the extra labelling etc.? At the end of the day this is a minor quibble though - although I shall be careful in seeking out the Asda/Tesco/Morrison's versions!

I also ought to be fair to the cider. It is not terrible. I would choose it if driving and it was available. Low alcohol drinks have come a long way and do have potential (although if I want a soft drink I would tend to go for a soft drink as opposed to something that is similar to cider... if I am totally honest)

Guess what. It has 55/100... Strangely exactly the same as the Waitrose version. And yes, I did stop marking it once I had tasted it. If you can tell the difference then you are a better taster than me:-)

Sainsbury's English Vintage 2010 Cider

OK, well I have a couple of reviews here that are either going to be dead simple but a little revealing or else going to be complex and hard to explain. Captured your attention? It's actually not that exciting - I have two bottles of cider that look identical to each other; this Sainsbury's and Weston's own English Vintage Cider. And I have provided a photo to prove how similar they look (well, they even have the same bleedin' name don't they!!)

So what? Well, aside the fact that one is 7.2% and the other is 7.3%, I get to try them together to see if in fact they are one and the same thing. OK, its not the first time Weston's have done this - see the review for 1st Quality and Marcle Hill (and possibly the Governor). And its not as if I found both these ciders on sale next to each other - the Westons was in a garden centre in Somerset, the Sainsbury's version I will let you guess at:-)

Is this OK though? Is it OK for companies to peddle stuff at us under two (or even three) different names but the stuff being identical? I guess it is, although it really is just more marketing crap really isn't it? No, there isn't anything to say 'this cider has been specially made for Sainsbury's'; although it does say 'produced and bottled for...', but that is just being picky. And why there is 0.1% alcohol difference I have no idea... But then, if this cider is not like the other then that would actually make this whole paragraph a waste of space eh!

So lets try the Sainsbury's one first and see.

It pours out fairly fizzy and golden in colour. Bright and clear as a bright and clear thing that has won the bright and clear competition. The smell is moderate - fruity and cider with a little tannin and sulphite coming through. It does seem a touch juicy... common for Weston's although it is described as medium dry, do hopefully not too much.

And the taste is good. Moderate. Safe. A nice cider flavour to it with an excellent balance between acid, tannin and sweetness. The fruit is there with not too much apple juice going on either. I actually rather enjoy it; although I am sure it is heavily related to most of their other ciders, it is distinct from the still and juicy versions I have tried recently.

There is a reasonable aftertaste to the cider too. Its not especially long, but it is tannic - not much juice coming through at all but a nice fruity taste.

This is not a 'normal' Westons. It is quite dry and whilst not entirely challenging or complex is a satisfying drink. A good score of 70/100 earns an apple for Sainsbury's and for Westons too... now, lets see if the Westons is identical (and do I mark it down if it is???)

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Vintage Cider

A Sainsbury's cider made by Thatchers for the Taste the Difference range. After the last one I expected this to be a slightly down graded Thatchers cider. After all, their own Vintage cider scored its very own bronze (I know, it doesn't mean much from here but at least it gets on to my own short list of a kind). The label claims "Medium dry with a depth of flavour" - "A rich and fruity cider with a touch of sparkle".

This cider is a 2009 vintage cider made from Dabinett and Redstreak apples. Now I have a lot of respect for both Dabinett (a very good bittersweet variety) and also for Redstreak (a full Bittersharp). These are good apples to lay claim to, and ought to produce an interesting cider. The stakes for this one are raised!

On opening, its a medium fizz. I would say more like a 'dab' of sparkle than a 'touch'. Now who is being picky?! Its a nice gold colour - which I am coming to learn is a common colour for a west country cider.There is also a distinct aroma which offers both tannin and acidity.

Here is the odd thing though - the cider taste doesn't deliver much acidity at all. Sure, there it is in the aftertaste, but not in the mouth. It does taste a bit sweeter than its medium dry, so may be that counters it. The bubbles may also lift the sweetness a touch too.

I am definitely getting the dabinett and, although the aftertaste carries a tiny amount of sharp, its mainly tannin that comes through. Would say that there is more dabinett than redstreak, although it is strikingly more balanced than a dabinett single variety.

This is nice and drinkable though, with a good character to it. A nice blend. I only marked down because it also definitely has a safe, pastuerised flavour which is common to many ciders that have been 'adjusted'.

Given that, not bad at all. I would recommend for those searching for something good with only a Sainsbury's to hand (although Sainsbury's also stock Henney's Vintage - so I'd go for that instead). And what do you know. It scored a bronze apple. Actually, having just finished it, I am not surprised. Its a good one.

Sainsburys Taste the Difference Suffolk Cyder

As with many supermarket 'own brand' ciders, they are produced by a third party and then sold on under the supermarkets name. With this one, its not exactly hidden - its right there in big letters on the front label. Aspall are a good, solid cider maker from Suffolk who make really nice cider... sorry, that should be cyder... in the Eastern counties style.

Does the fact that they have made this for a supermarket mean they are bad? No. Does it mean the cider itself is bad? Well, probably not - we'll see. Does it make it not cider? No, it looks like cider and smells like cider. The 4.5% is a bit weak - that is almost a second pressing of the apple pulp strength. Its also more expensive than many of Aspall's own labelled cider at just over £2 for a 500ml bottle.

So, is it love at first gulp? No. Once I had waited for the fizz to subside a bit, I just felt a bit disappointed by it. Having bought Aspall's cider quite happily in the past, I just thought this one let it down a bit too much. OK, so with the low alcoholic volume it was likely to be watery, but it just feels a bit too sweet and acidic... and rather non committal for an eastern style of cider.

On the label it says this cider balances sweetness and acidity. Sure, but does that count when the sweetness and acidity drown most other flavours out. That is a bit unkind, there is a refreshing lemony taste to it. But its not a winner for me, I am afraid.

I think the 62 points it scored is a bit generous, although it is better than more market leading alternatives. Sorry Aspall!