Louis Rosé Cider Pomme Rouge

Louis Rosé Cider is pushing the boundaries for what hot weather easy-drinking ciders can be. We have seen ciders with added fruit, but the addition of shiraz skins might need a bit of explanation.

We have seen other Louis ciders before from Napoleone . It’s sort of a sub-brand for them. The organisation is also linked to Punt Road Wines. I’m not sure of the exact link but they share the same address. So, it makes sense for them to have shiraz grape skins on hand.

Once the apples are cold pressed, they are placed in small open-top fermentation pots with the shiraz skins for about 2 weeks. That’s plenty of time for some of that rosy colour to leech out into the apple juice as it becomes a cider.

The Nose

Cracking open the can is like popping a raspberry in your face. Once it’s poured into the glass it settles down becoming a bit more mature. The Shiraz grapes are giving off a bit of a vibe that is somewhere between a port and a slow gin maybe even some grapefruit.

The Taste

It’s a bit of a surprising drop. The Louis Rosé Cider is a little bit sweeter than I was expecting. Most shiraz wines I’ve drunk have been pretty dry, I have to remember this is not mixed with wine, instead, it is co-fermented with the grape skins so there will be plenty of natural sugars to be used.
Using those grapes lends a lot more complexity compared to a cider made from your standard-eating apple ciders. It is a uniquely strong flavour, that is great for about the length of 1 can, which leads me to my…

Final Thoughts on the Louis Rosé Cider

The Louis website describes the Louis Rosé Cider as an aperitivo which nails how and when this should be drunk. It’s the welcoming drink before a meal, it’s a summer evening party starter before moving on to something else to match the meal or the festivities. If that was the design brief The Napoleone/Louis team have hit it out of the park.

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