Ice Cider

[malcolmjolley]

The Economist, of all publications, has an article (made me use my subscription log-in, so may not be available) on Quebecois "Ice Cider".

Has anyone tried this? Sounds like really sweet Calva, but what do I know?

[edited for spilling]

Edited May 26, 2004 by malcolmjolley (log)

[sf&m]

It's great and has only been around for a few years so it's still developing by leaps and bounds. I think it has a great future.

I like it with a Quebec cheese platter (you know...that inconsistent, amateur stuff, harumppph...) Or use it in cooking (emulsified with drippings) with pork or as I tried the other day, with duck confit. YUM!

Ice cider does not have the depth and nunaces of a good ice wine but the best have a reasonably good balance of sweetness and acidity.

Most alert in terms of marketing and also - far as I can tell - quality, are Pinnacle and La Face Cachee de la Pomme. (Sorry about no accents). La Face Cachee has two kinds, Neige and Frimas - Frimas being the premier. Pinnacle has three kinds on the market.

Also Ice Ciders to check out are Cidre Nicholas and Cidre Minot. A good place to get them is Marche Des Saveurs at Jean Talon Market. They carry about 6-8 different Ice Ciders including the onces above.

Ice cider will cost you $15-30 for a 375 ml bottle vs $50+ for ice wine.

BU now has Frimas on the wine chart and I suspect many other Montreal rest. have or will carry Ice ciders in the near future.

/gth

[jayt90]

Has anyone tried this? Sounds like really sweet Calva, but what do I know?

I haven't figured out what ice cider is, from the above posts. The Economist is no help, as they want $20 for a reply. I'd rather spend $20 on the real thing, if I can find it at LCBO or the fruit wine farms.

So I'm guessing: (1) late harvest apples, shrivelled and botryritised, used in making a sweet concentrated cider;

(2) very late harvest apples, botryritised and further assaulted by a layer of ice or freezing rain;

(3) Applejack, which has been around since pioneer days. A barrel of mature cider is allowed to freeze over winter, and the concentrated juice (higher in alcohol and sweeter) is removed from the centre of the barrel.

[sf&m]

jayt90 - Ice Cider is cider from Juice extracted from FROZEN Apples. So, just like for icewine, the juice is concentrated in terms of sugar content and aromatics. BEFORE fermentation. Some producers also concentrates Apple juice by freezing...... supposedly not with the same good result. Some even claim to leave Apples on the trees and harvest them in January..... hmmmm...

The "standard method" , as I understand it, is by storing the Apples outside until February - in Quebec. Because of the DRY cold air there is some "freeze drying" going on - which enhances sugar and flavours.

Far as I know there is no Botyris going on.

Obvioulsy fermentation profile, yeast and mixture of apples used plays a big role in creating a balance of sweetnes/acidity/flavours - an art which we have by no means seen the end of I am sure. Pinnacle for instance use 6 different types of Apples in some of their Ice Ciders.

Don't mistake Ice cider for the traditional Quebec "Aperitif" ciders, which are sweet fortified ciders. Ice ciders are ciders fermented from 30+ brix juice to 12 % alcohol and residual sugars.

SAQ now carries some ice ciders and I've even seen a Cidre Nicholas in LobLaws - if you're in Montreal.

Outside of Montreal you'll most likely find La Face Cachee de la Pomme or Pinnacle since these seem to have the most marketing "juice".

[carswell]

The best ice cider is made very much like ice wine. The apples are left on the trees or outdoors in open crates until mid-winter. They are pressed while the temperature is below freezing; as some of the water in the fruit remains frozen, the resulting juice is denser, sweeter and more flavourful. The juice is then fermented at low temperature before being racked, aged and bottled. Some of the cheaper ice ciders use workarounds to cut corners — like pressing the apples at above-freezing temperatures and then freezing the juice to concentrate it, or freezing the apples in a freezer.

Ice cider is too syrupy, sweet and lacking in potency to be compared with Calvados. sf&m's description of the taste is right on. I'd add that while some ice wines are dazzling, I've yet to experience an ice cider that is. That said, the better ice ciders are an enjoyable and affordable tipple and can work quite well as an accompaniment to foie gras and desserts.

That the Economist would cover the product is not surprising; ice ciders are a minor rage in France. It all started in late 2001, when La face cachée de la pomme's Neige was served at a Canadian goverment reception in Paris. A few months later, the product was picked up by Galleries Lafayette. Soon a European distributor was found and it is now available at some 50 outlets in the Paris area as well as elsewhere in Europe, Asia and Mexico.

A few websites of interest:

La face cachée de la pomme

Domaine Pinnacle

Cidrerie du Minot

Clos Saint-Denis

La route des cidres

The SAQ's website also has quite a bit of information, though you'll have to work to get it. From the main page, click the L button at the top to switch to the English-language site. Click the Wine and Liquor Advice tab, then the Regional Specialties link in the right-hand column. On the Regional Specialties page, click Apples for descriptions of the various types of apple-based beverages. Or scroll to the bottom of the page and click Apples under the List of Products heading; that takes you to a complete listing of the apple beverages — including ice ciders — on offer at the SAQ, many of which have detailed descriptions that you can display by clicking on the product name.

Edited May 26, 2004 by carswell (log)

[Lesley C]

I think the Frimas by La Face Cachee de la Pomme is quite dazzling. And I have always considered a good ice cider less cloying and tooth-achingly sweet than ice wine.

[carswell]

Well, there's no disputing taste. You'll get no argument from me about Frimas' being the cream of the crop, though. Agreed, too, that many ice wines, especially some of the Ontario rieslings, are one-dimensional glop. But while I've been bedazzled by the kaleidoscopic effect — the merry-go-round of tropical fruit, sugar and acid — found in a few vidal ice wines, no ice cider has held my palate in thrall quite that way.

[sf&m]

For a great taste comparison, (and subsequent argument) make a run down 15 to Hemmingford, pickup up some Neige and/or Frimas at La Face Cachee and continue west down the road to Havelock and visit Jean and Line Joly at Vignoble du Marathonien - Jean and Line make arguably the best Vidal Icewine in Quebec. You can't get Marathonien at Marche des Saveurs so it's a good excuse to get off the regular foraging trail. They also make a Marecheal Foch/DeChaunac that might start you thinking Quebec wine has a future. Ok, they have a goofy label but trust me....

I think both heralds what is to come in Quebec wine and cider.....

Also, while in Hemmingford make a bee line for Ciderie du Minot. Ice Cider - and a great Sparkling Cremant de Pomme Rose made exclusively from Geneva Apples. At about 5% Alcohol it's perfect for a summer outing without exacerbating your Quebec driving habits.

/gth

[estufarian]

if I can find it at LCBO

The Pinnacle is currently available at the LCBO (Vintages) - bought some about a month ago, but haven't tried it yet.