We identify the different types of cider. The most common are pasteurized and industrial, marketed under the names of Val de Rance, Écusson, Duché de Longueville, Loïc Raison. They have a fairly standard taste and keep well. In the lot, we opt for a "corked cider" in a Champagne bottle (more alcohol, more aromas) rather than a "table cider" (low end), and we check that it is stamped " pure juice".
We choose an artisanal cider. Unpasteurized, artisanal or farm-produced, they have finer bubbles because their gasification is generally natural. They are more typical, complex, more expensive too:they can be found at a wine merchant. They can be enjoyed as an aperitif, like a good wine. Flat ? They do not keep well.
We rely on labels. For artisanal ciders, the AOC - Pays d'Auge (Normandy) and Cornouailles (Brittany) - guarantees a variety of selected apples and a traditional method. Better, the Label Rouge:more demanding than the AOC on quality but more expensive. Another guarantee of quality, the medals of competitions which mention the year of obtaining.
Thanks to Jérôme Dupont, vice-president of the IDAC (interprofession of cider appellations) and to UNICID (Union Nationale Interprofessionnelle Cidricole).
