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Cider Digest #0215
Subject: Halloween Cider Tasting Results
Date: Tue, 3 Nov 92 22:44:08 PDT
From: Scott_R_Bauer@cup.portal.com
In conjunction with hosting a Halloween party, I conducted a blind
cider tasting. The results, from lowest to highest rated, are as
follows (reactions from the tasters will appear in quotes, other
comments are mine) :
DRY CIDERS
HOMEBREW : A friend of one of the guests is a home wine maker who
also does a cider once a year. The overall reaction was that it was
too dry and bitter. "No apple bite, just bite & no after taste,"
was how one taster put it. This had the strongest apple aroma of
all the ciders tasted, which made its lack of apple taste all the
more disappointing. While overall this was the lowest ranked, one
taster ranked it number one, citing its "champagne-like" nature.
BARSOTTI : A cider produced by the Barsotti Winery of Placerville,
CA. This was the strongest of the ciders tasted, at 8.5 % alcohol
(by vol.) The common reaction of almost all the tasters was that it
tasted "flat" and "sour". This may in part be because it had sat in
the bottle too long; but my recollection from previous tastings is
that even fresh the comments would be much the same. My own
reaction is that it tastes too much like wine, rather than cider.
One taster found it undrinkable.
YAKIMA : Produced by Grant's, out of Yakima, WA; available at
Liquor Barn. Of the "dry" ciders, this was preferred by the most
tasters, who liked its apple taste, tart flavor, and initial
"bite." Yakima had more consistent ratings than the dry cider
winner, but was edged out by ...
BLACKTHORN DRY : Produced by Blackthorn, of Taunton, England.
Available many places, including Liquor Barn and Cost Plus. The
tasters praised its dry, light taste, but many felt that it did not
have a strong enough apple flavor. It gained two first place vote,
and one vote for worst, from a taster who likened it to "a white
wine that had an apple dipped in it."
SWEET CIDERS
DULCIOR : From Cideries Mignard in France; available in the
refrigerator section of Trader Joes. Tasters commented on the dark
color of the cider (closest to the amber of apple juice.) One
taster thought it had a funny aftertaste and scored it the worst;
two tasters thought it had a nice amount of sweetness and was easy
to drink, rating it the best. With only 2% alcohol by volume, it
was the "softest" of the hard ciders.
WYDERS : This cider is produced in British Columbia; I found it on
sale at Cost Plus. Of all the ciders tasted, this one had the
strongest apple flavor...of green apples. But rather than tart,
this was one of the sweetest of the ciders. It was also the most
highly carbonated.
WOODCHUCK : Produced in Vermont by the Joseph Cerniglia Winery;
purchased at Trader Joes (and by far the least expensive of the
ciders tasted.) There was a large polarity of opinion on this;
while two tasters couldn't stand it ("Worst....Hurts to drink it!",
"Too sweet") it finished second overall in the tasting, with two
first place votes. "Good flavor -- just right -- not too much
bite", "light, apply", were some of the comments of those that
liked it. There was also a comment about a slight "chemical" after
taste from one of the tasters, who rated it in the middle of the
pack for that reason.
WOODPECKER : Produced by Bulmers in Hereford, England. This has
recently become available in Northern California, at various Liquor
Barn locations (including San Francisco and Albany). It was the
overall winner of the tasting. No one rated this below the middle
of the pack, and it was judged the winner by half of the tasters!
"Nice tart/sweet balance", "full bodied, good bouquet", "fruity,
lite, snappy" were some of the comments. Woodpecker is not as sweet
as either Wyders or Woodchuck, and has a very crisp, apple flavor.
Overall, the tasters preferred the sweet ciders to the dry, with
the score for the third place Wyder's nearly equal to the score for
Blackthorn. While I was not able to obtain any for the tasting, I
would personally rank Seven Sisters, produced by the Selkirk Cider
Works of Sandpoint, Idaho at just above the level of Woodchuck. It
is about the sweetness of Woodpecker, but the apple taste is not as
crisp, or as full. I have only been able to find it on tap, notably
at Raleigh's pub, on Telegraph in Berkeley.
Scott Bauer sbauer@cup.portal.com ...!uunet!portal!sbauer
128 Maureen Circle -- Pittsburg, CA -- 94565-3419
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