Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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Understanding the Cider and Cheese Connection "Apple trees and grass both love rain," says Gregory Hall, proprietor of Michigan's Virtue Cider, to explain why cider- and cheese-producing regions often overlap. Think Normandy and Camembert; Asturias and Cabrales; Somerset and Cheddar. Domestically, hard cider production is booming in places like Vermont, Oregon, and California's Sonoma County, all laden with creameries, too. The ciders drawing consumer atten- tion today bear no resemblance to the sweet apple cider on supermarket shelves. Hard cider is fermented juice, with an alcohol content ranging typically from 5 percent to 8 percent. Purists say the best hard ciders require a blend of Old World apples rare in American orchards today—varieties like Kingston Black, Ellis Bitter, and Dabinett. These cider-specific apples—known as "spitters" because they are too tannic and tart to eat—lend structure, aroma, and acidity to the blend. While they wait for growers to plant more of these "bittersweet" and "bitter- sharp" cider varieties, most domestic pro- ducers rely on dessert apples, in whole or in part. Consequently, their ciders are rarely as astringent as some of the standard bearers from Europe, but that may be a plus for con- sumers learning to appreciate the beverage. Ciders, like wines, range widely in style. Most are sparkling or at least lightly petillant, but a few are still. They can be Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 1442 The original, B OTTLE-MATI c 3 YEAR WARRANTY INCLUDED D ISPENSA-MATIC Label Dispensers Price subject to change without notice. 2/01/09 28220 Playmor Beach Rd, Rocky Mount, MO 65072 Call Toll Free: 1 (800) 325-7303 or (573) 392-7684 FAX:(573) 392-1757; E-mail: info@dispensamatic.com Web: http://www.bottle-labeler.com STOP Wasting Time Labeling by Hand! For Specialty Food readers, Only $1450! Label any cylindrical container fast and accurately from ½" to 10" diameter, @ Speeds of 1200 Pcs. per hour. NOT THE CHEAP IMPORTED KNOCK-OFF! 21 day trial Front and Back! MADE IN USA! cheese focus Quick Guide: Complementary Qualities • Ciders with noticeable residual sugar complement cheeses that make a sweet impression, like aged Gouda and nutty alpine or alpine-style cheese. Like dessert wines, sweet or medium-sweet ciders can also work with some blues. • Ciders with prickly carbonation cut through creamy cheeses. Pair them with triple cremes or soft to semisoft cheeses. • Tannic ciders can stand up to hard, aged cheeses with concentrated flavor, like aged sheep's milk cheeses and aged cheddar. • Tart ciders welcome high-acid cheeses, like young goat cheese and tangy cheddar. 36 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com