The cider surprise
BY S. IRENE VIRBILA Shake up the Thanksgiving drinks table with craft cider. Whatever your tradition for the holiday, the meal itself is notoriously difficult to pair with wine. Nuances can get lost under the onslaught of so many competing flavors. And the Thanksgiving table’s tart and sweet elements can do in all but the most forgiving reds. Think Beaujolais cru.
But consider a different scenario. What if you surprised family and friends this year and showed up with something new to drink? Something that’s low in alcohol — and, if you like, local. A beverage that’s light and refreshing and capable of cozying up to sweet, tart, rich and everything in between.
That something would be craft cider. Cider-heads already have that one dialed in, but for those who still think of cider as something fizzy and sweet, small-batch craft ciders can be a revelation. They’re closer to wine than to beer and come in a broad spectrum of styles. They can be still or sparkling. Some are made here in California. Others hail from the Northwest or the Northeast — wherever apples are grown. But you can also find ciders from countries such as Spain or France that have long traditions of cider making.
Ciders aren’t brewed like beers; they’re fermented like wine — only they’re made from apple juice instead of grape juice. The ones that go best with food are generally fermented bone-dry. Some are made not only with apples but with pear and/or quince, which gives a lovely perfume to the cider.
Cider makers are famous for tracking down abandoned orchards and searching out rare and
heirloom varieties for raw material. A few push the boundaries by introducing other flavors, such as chile or agave or hops, after the first fermentation.
For Thanksgiving, though, let’s mostly stick with ciders that drink crisp and dry — the way Txacolina from northern Spain or a Muscadet from France’s Loire Valley would. Something like the Troy MMXIV from Sonoma County and Millstone Farmhouse Cidery “Farmgate” from Maryland, among others.
If you want to turn Thanksgiving into a cider fest, lay in a selection of bottles. For the crowd hunkered down in front of the TV, nibbling on wings or salty snacks, pop open California 101 Cider House IPC (India Pale Cider), which can take anything spicy or salty.
For everyone not into sports, open a bottle or two of sparkling French cider, such as Eric Bordelet Sidre Brut “Tendre” or Sydre “Argelette”
made from antique varieties of apples grown on his orchards just south of Normandy. Or try Cidrerie du Vulcain “Trois Pépins” or “Transparente” from Switzerland. With their creamy mousse and soft, voluptuous fruit, they could win a place as your house sparkling beverage.
To go with a cheese plate before or after the main event, try a cider from Asturias in Spain where they’ve been drinking cider with everything in sight since forever. All ciders go with cheese, but particularly the ones that are bonedry, farmhouse-style ciders from Asturias, Normandy and England’s West Country.
You can also pour a cider to savor after the meal. One aged in old rum or bourbon barrels might be appropriate. Sea Cider Prohibition Screech Barrel Aged Cider from British Columbia is crazy good, totally unique. And Sonoma Cider’s Anvil Bourbon offers plenty of complexity and spunk.
The added bonus? Cider aids digestion, so after everyone has pie you won’t be confronted with a table full of bloated, sleepy celebrants. You might actually get to play that game of cards or break out the Monopoly game this year.