Back to French cidre again (mainly because I still have a stack of it to get through.. woe is me:-), and another cidre bought from a greengrocer in Neufchatel. I particularly liked the stamped number on the bottle which just shouts 'we don't make much of this stuff and are proud of what we sell'. Well, that but in French! Again, this one doesn't carry an AOC or regional conformance label... and it was also a small bottle (500ml), breaking with the tradition of larger 750ml bottles.
Incidenally, a good source of guidance about European cider touring is found in the CAMRA book 'Cider'. Worth seeking out for your cider bookshelf anyway, it contains several accounts of trips around France. A small word of caution though, it is generally written by cider makers - which would appear to be a golden ticket when talking to other cider makers... you may not be as welcome as they are (unless you are also a cider maker). That isn't a rule though; cider makers are generally very lovely people:-)
I will get straight to the tasting of this one. I tried it whilst in France and am only sorry I didn't bring more of it back with me!
Its a golden and sparkling cider - the nice moussy bubbles that are almost a froth instead of a prickly carbonation. This carbonation lingers all the way through the drink. Its also got a really fruity aroma to it, it is bittersweet and apples - it makes you look forward to drinking it.
And its worth it too. Bittersweet and apples come through with a tannin that lingers all the way through the drink It is also fairly dry for a French cidre too and the balance of tanin and acid must be at work in this. I felt the aftertaste disappeared a little quickly, but didn't stop me from drinking a second bottle of it!!
A score of 82/100 - proves that French cider makers definitely know how to make a good cidre.
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