Pomarina
Admitting my ignorance, I was unaware that Sidra El Gaitero made sidra natural until I took the guided tour of the llagar. Besides the fascinating history of sparkling cider in Asturias, the collection of antique equipment from Champagne in France used to make their most famous ciders, and the incredible museum of cider ephemera for the real cider history geek, there was the revelation (to me at least) of the fact that they made a DOP sidra natural.
Appearance
Asturians put great stock in the proper appearance and presentation of the cider. Perhaps more so than anywhere else I’ve ever drunk cider. For that reason, there is a well-developed vocabulary in Asturias for describing the visual aspects of sidra natural.
Color | Yellow (5 SRM) |
Clarity | Cloudy |
Espalme | Panizal: lively carbon dioxide, well balanced |
Pegue | good adhesion, lots of legs |
Mouthfeel
Mouthfeel refers to the physical sensations (as opposed to the aromas and flavors) of the cider. It refers to textures that touch the tongue, roof of the mouth, teeth, throat, and to some extent, the aftertaste sensations.
Body | Medium |
Sensation | very lively on the tongue |
Finish | Medium (15-30 Seconds) |
Balance | Finu: a cider that is "clean", "clear", and "balanced" - The ideal cider flavor profile |
Aromas & Flavors
Sidra natural has a set of basic aromas and flavors that, to one degree or another, all examples exhibit. Here I rate the relative strength of those basic flavors, and afterwards discuss any additional flavor or aroma components that are noteworthy.
Alcohol | Blandu: Faintly alcoholic |
Apple Flavors | Apple forward |
Acetic Flavors | Pleasant balanced acetic qualities |
Astringent Flavors | Secante: refreshingly dry and stimulating to the palate. |
Tasting Notes
The darkest cider in Asturias, this is also one of the fizziest, and sweetest. The green apple first taste gives way to sweet red apple, before finishing again with a mouth-watering green apple tang.
About Cider Tasting
This evaluation standard is my own. It is not created or endorsed by any official body in Asturias or elsewhere. I designed it based on the work of the Brewer’s Association and the work of Travis Robert Alexander & Brianna L. Ewing Valliere of the Washington State University Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources. It is also informed by the traditional vocabulary used to describe cider in Asturias. You can read more about my methodology, my standard for evaluating Asturian cider, and the descriptive lexicon I use.