Sassy Cider has launched in Australia. This French Cider house has a trio of ciders but I am going with their more unusual offering. Le Cidre Rosé is a pink cider. But without artificial colours how do you make a pink cider?
Cider is the go to drink in the French region of Normandy. The French are world renowned for their attention to detail and long standing traditions when it comes to wine making. Normandy has the same mindset; the only difference is that the climate is much better suited to apple orchards than vineyards. But France is part of the old world. This often means “We make it this way because this is how my father made it and his father before that” This mean styles are well defined but innovation is not as readily embraced as it is in the Aussie or American cider scene.
That’s where Xavier d’Audiffret Pasquier and Pierre-Emmanuel Racine-Jourden of Sassy cider saw an opportunity.
That was the moment when I realised that finding a good cider is not that easy…either the product was too industrial, or too “farmer” Pierre-Emmanuel Racine-Jourden
So the Le Cidre Rosé is an attempt to modernize that tradition. For me this modernization starts with the choice of apples. It starts by making the hero apple in this cider an American. Ahh globalisation…
In order to get the pink hew, a red fleshed apple is used. The Geneva Crab. This east coast American apple has red flesh and a pinkish juice.
The Geneva crab apple, 1 of 17,000 N. American apple varieties http://t.co/f0VKzgDq8v (Photo: Robert Rausch for NYT) pic.twitter.com/xIVnHD72Yl
— NYT Food (@nytfood) October 24, 2014
The other technique is a skin maceration. This is where red apples skins and some apple juice are fermented together. Some of the skins’ colour makes its’ way into the cider.
The Nose
Before the bottle cap has even finished being levered off, the smell hits you like a freight train. But as soon as the cap hits the floor, I’m double checking the label to make sure that this really is French. I would swear noir et bleu that this is a British cider. I’m getting bucket loads of Kingston blacks from a densely packed bitter scent. Now I’m very interested. Lets taste
The Taste
Sassy have managed to make an extremely well balanced sweet cider. Up front it’s very fruity. Plum working in tandem with raspberry yogurt, creates a rich foundation. Then comes a wave of bitters, subtle bittersweets, even out the score. The finish hangs around with more summer berries.
Le Rosé Cidre is pretty low on fizz but it does hold a head of foam all the way to the bottom of the glass.
Final Thoughts on Le Cidre Rosé
I’m very pleasantly surprised with Sassy’s Le Cidre Rosé. I thought it was going to be overly sweet and a little “weird French”. The Le Cidre Rosé, in my opinion, is very British. Xavier must have picked up a taste for this style whilst in London. This is by no means is a criticism. I think it is a very modern cider, American apple mixed with French apples and cider makers with an English vibe.
The sweetness and the berry flavours make me think that if you like a glass of Pimms, you are going to love this cider.
And if your wondering what “Le Surfureuse” means, it is one who likes to stir the pot, causes a little controversy. I see where they are coming from. There is a bit of a trouble maker in this bottle.
Product | Le Cidre Rosé “Le Surfureuse” |
Company | Maison Sassy |
Sweetness | Sweet |
Alc/Vol | 3% |
Website | maison-sassy.com |
Country of Origin | France |
Region | Normandy |
March 17, 2016
Must be following their French Canadian brothers!
http://www.micheljodoin.ca/en/product/rose-sparkling-cider/