Mostly About Cider

This past month we have been opening many of the Last Chance offerings of the NLC where they have decided to close out their inventory and remove the listings of certain wines. Substantial discounts have made for very attractive pricing – we have enjoyed value drinking this month! But it is sad to see some old favourites disappear from the shelves, such as Cloof Cab Cult from South Africa, Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay from Australia, and Villa Maria Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

Cider Fest Selections

While my obvious preference is for wine, there are occasions when you want a “cold one”. It doesn’t seem right, however, to drink a bracing Sauvignon Blanc by the pint. Unfortunately, there is something about beer which does not agree with my body chemistry and has denied me access to the burgeoning craft beer market. I have turned to cider for my version of a “cold one”.

Even so, many of the widely available commercial ciders are not particularly appealing (not unlike many of the unremarkable commercial beers). They are often made from apple concentrate and are overly sweet – more like an alcoholic version of a soft drink. The NLC lists a couple of ciders which are more to my taste: No Boats on Sunday from Nova Scotia and Brothers Premium from Somerset, UK.

This month’s Cider Fest was a rare opportunity to explore the growing craft cider micro-industry and I have taken full advantage. I have enjoyed every bottle or can that I have opened, although some clearly rank above others to my taste. My biggest surprise were the “hopped” ciders which were made using hops normally found in brewing certain types of beer. I recognized some of these aromatics from my attempts to enjoy beer – and they came without the other beer characteristics that I can’t tolerate.

My favourite cider was the Chainyard Hopped Up. The hops boosted the aromatics and developed a more complex and deep flavour when compared to the non-hopped Intrepid (which was excellent too).

The comparison between the Bulwark Original and Hopped versions was similar; the hops made for a more interesting cider, even though I would be happy to be able to buy the Original on a regular basis.

I wasn’t originally interested in the Sourwood ciders, but having now tried three of them, they each have an interesting “edge” that I find appealing. The Golden has a truly golden colour and full flavour. The Youngster had a bite to it, and the Old World was somewhere in between the two.

Other ciders tasted were from Yip Yip and Lakeside and deserve honourable mention here.

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

Open Saison Pig Roast – November 3, 4 PM to 10 PM – Launch of Quidi Vidi Brewery’s Saison beers, with dinner by Mallard Cottage.

Tour de France Tasting – November 8, 7 PM – 9 PM – Dialog Wines and Great Vintages: Wine Show pre-tasting – email for information and tickets.

Italian Wine Master Class – November 8, 7 PM – featuring Master of Wine Michaela Morris – tickets at Howley store.

Wine Show – Delta Hotel, Thursday to Saturday, November 15 to 17 – Saturday lunch, and Saturday night tasting sold out.

Pesantez & Segovia Tasting Dinner – November 16, 5 PM – wines from the Wine Show – email for information and tickets.