TO WARD OFF THE CHILL

In the spirit trying hard to shake off the winter doldrums, we ventured out to Rougemont for the 2nd Mondial des cidres de glaces, we had attended last year and ended up tasting a diverse selection of ice ciders and found some exceptional gems among them. Last year we had gone on the closing Sunday and by mid afternoon the scene was dying down so we got a chance to interact with each producer and find out what each one was doing to make their ciders unique. This year kept with our Sunday strategy but the scene was definitely more raucous, first it was an absolutely stunning day, fairly warm too. The tent was difficult to navigate pleasurably and as usual in these instances a lot of people cutting ahead and barging in as if the prohibition was coming back in effect. Rudeness and irritability aside it was nice to see a lot of folks turn out for locals products although next year I think they should work out a larger tent to fit all the revellers comfortably. Quite a few new products out this year. Veronique and I made a point to try as many as we could so we shared single pours .Contrary to what a lot of people think Ice cider is not a one trick pony, when you taste more than a dozen different interpretations you really see all the nuances. I tend to favour a cider that has that deep flavour of slow cooked apples and spices tamed by a nice acidity, I think Vero prefers a more fruitier version (litchi, apricots and the like) . Apart from a few duds (one tasting so vile I swear it was like mouldy apples and dill pickle juice, another have a strong chemical aftertaste) it was difficult to declare a clear winner, as usual we spent far too much money and came home with a bunch of bottles. The standouts this year...Val Caudalies' "Réserve d'Éole" this one was quite complex and not too sweet. Cryo Cidrerie's "prestige" and regular yearly bottling "Cryo de glace" we're also fabulous, really intense, apple flavours not too sweet and cloying. Vignoble De Lavoie's "Ace" was a coup de coeur for it's really fresh and crisp bite. A lot of good stuff worth checking out. Incidentally most of these products if not available through your local liquor monopoly can be purchased from Marché des Saveurs or take a trip out to the producers directly, many are open on Saturdays and Rougemont is a short leisurely drive from the Island . We did that a few weeks back and didn't regret it one bit.