Domaine Pinnacle Ice Cider - How do ya like them apples?

I like them just fine, thank you very much.

This afternoon I attended an ice cider tasting with the sales and marketing people from Quebec's Domaine Pinnacle. This was my first time trying an ice cider, though I've had other fruit wines before. As consumers' wine knowledge and confidence grows, I believe people will become increasingly willing - and even eager - to branch out to products like fruit wines and ice cider.

The flavours of apple and spice are highly concentrated, and over 80 apples are used for each 375ml bottle. It has a nice bite to cut through the sweetness, and a long, clean, golden apple finish. DP harvests their apples after the frost, and uses a blend of six varieties to balance sweetness and acidity. The apples are fermented for a long time (7-9 months) and it takes a year to produce the cider. Over 20% of the apples used are MacIntosh, which helps give this cider some acidity. They make two versions: a sparkling and a still.

We tried both versions with appple tarte tatin and three aged cheddars. The cheddars made a great pairing with the cider, as would pate or fois gras. Rhonda May, Editor of City Food Magazine, suggested deglazing the pan with it when making pork tenderloin, which sounds incredible. Frederic Boucher, DP's Sales Manager, recommended trying it with chevre noir http://www.seacrestfoods.com/cheese/descriptions/cachevrenoir.html, or adding it and some apples to pan seared fois gras. I'm told the sparkling pairs surprisingly well with sushi.

If you find yourself in Montreal it's worth it to make a trip out to the cidery, which has an amazing history. Located about an hour south east of Montreal it sits right on the border of Vermont, and was used as a slave crossing on the underground railroad during the US Civil War. During Prohibition it was a rum running business, and the tower on the farmhouse was used to send and receive signals across the border.

At $30 this is a very affordable dessert wine, and if you buy the still version you can keep it about a month after opening it. Keep an eye out next year for their Crème de Pommes, a blend of ice cider, apple brandy and cream.

Click here for local availability: http://www.bcliquorstores.com/en/products/7674?region=5

For more on cider, check out this Time Magazine article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101324,00.html