How To Taste Cider

CIDER TASTING at Home

With all the different cider styles available across the globe, let alone what is being developed here in Australia- it is now ever so easy to host an enjoyable, interesting and informative cider tasting event at home.

WORDS JAMES KENDALL

CHOOSING CIDERS OLD WORLD STYLES:

This is probably the most difficult part to be honest, as there are so many to choose from. My advice is to pick a theme or style that you would like to focus on, or learn more about.

These days there are a variety of ciders available from around the globe, which can be purchased here in Australia- so creating a country focused theme may add some fun to the evening. You could team this with preparing some canapés and other food based on the selected country. The key nations with a long cultural cider history are the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany.

Alternatively, you could choose to focus on a particular style and select examples from it. Although there are many, the key cider styles you could choose from are: ENGLISH - these include the rustic farmhouse styles of England’s west country. Typically they are made using heritage cider variety apples, and therefore have a tannin textural element and earthy apple characters.

FRENCH - again, typically made from heritage cider variety apples- however the French cider makers like to do things differently and have developed a cider making technique we call keeving. This produces a more mature apple character, which tends to be sweeter and naturally carbonated.

SPANISH - here there is a long tradition of a particular range, requiring aeration immediately before drinking and is to be consumed immediately after aeration. The practice of pouring in the customary fashion or escanciada,

entails pouring the cider with the arm- holding the bottle extended overhead, which allows the flow to plunge into the glass held at waist level.

STILL APPLE WINES - the German apfelwein’s have been around for centuries and are more of a wine like cider, typically having no carbonation and tasting like a still apple wine.

NEW WORLD STYLES:

ICE CIDERS - based on the techniques used to make Ice Wines- the cider makers in Quebec have taken to this and made it their own style, which makes for an interesting night of rich, sweet, sticky ciders. MODERN AUSTRALIAN, USA AND SOUTH AFRICAN - typically made from eating apples (not cider apples), new world ciders tend to be force carbonated, fruit driven, easy drinking ciders.

The above is fairly broad but a good outline of the different styles of cider.

PLANNING THE EVENING

Once you have decided on a particular theme, the next thing to do is actually purchase some cider. The net is a wonderful thing these days, and initially you can do some research on your chosen subject and identify some producers and retailers of your selected products. A local liquor store may be able to help, or you could ask each guest to bring along examples they have also found that will fit in with your event.

Tasting ten to twelve ciders throughout the evening is probably enough, pallet fatigue and also the social aspect of the evening might take over if there are too many ciders to taste.

Make sure to chill each cider beforehand and cover the label, so each one is tasted without anybody being able to recognise the brand. This way each product gets a fair tasting.

All guests should have a clean glass to taste from, not one that has been sitting in a cardboard box for months, as this will

ABOVE: Aroma and Flavour Wheel

disadvantage the tasting of the first cider poured. Wash glasses and allow to air dry before the evening. I would suggest a wine tasting glass be used, as this allows the drinker to fully appreciate the appearance, aroma and flavour of each cider consumed.

On hand should be a good supply of bread and crackers - not as a substitute for dinner, but to be used between tastings in order to cleanse the pallet ready for the next pouring. Also on hand should be plenty of water and a separate water glass for each one of your guests.

A spittoon or a milkshake stainless steel cup is also a handy thing to have, allowing those that are driving to not consume. Lastly a pen for each guest, in case they like to write notes.

OTHER HANDY THINGS

Depending on how in depth you want to get- the below may be used, or you could simply enjoy each cider and have a discussion about each one as you taste. Aroma and Flavour Wheel - don’t get too bogged down on trying to choose the “correct” term to describe what you are smelling or tasting, however aroma and flavour wheels are a handy tool and provide some helpful vocabulary for beginners. At the end of the day, if you think it smells like old socks, then it probably does.

SCORECARD - again, depending on how professional you wish to be, writing notes on each cider helps to develop your skill in describing and assessing each one. As a bonus you get to refer to them at a later date, when deciding on which cider to purchase for a gift, or what food to match a particular one too.

Put simply, a scorecard should include the four main assessment criteria:

APPEARANCE - note its colour and clarity.

AROMA - note what it smells like, refer to the aroma wheel.

FLAVOUR - note what it tastes like, refer to a flavour wheel. OVERALL IMPRESSION - did you like it, would you purchase it again?

For a bit of fun, you can give each a score and help decide which cider was the most enjoyable of the evening.

WHAT TO TASTE FIRST

It’s best to start with dry ciders, then move gradually to the sweeter ones within your chosen theme or style. This is not always easy to arrange, as some labels will say that it is a dry cider, but on tasting you might find that it’s on the sweeter side. Don’t get too hung up on it, but try your best to taste from dry to sweet.

Within a tasting flight, you might also find some ciders are sparkling and others are still. As a general rule, it’s probably best to taste the still ciders before tasting the sparkling varieties, but as a general rule, finish off with the sweet.

Well you are all set to go for it- have fun and learn heaps- there is a whole world of cider out there for you to cheers.