The build up to the move was extremely busy and stressful and wine drinking and blogging was not a top priority. Most of the wines I did drink were ones that I've already blogged about anyway. Also, the other reason for not drinking much wine is that I've kind of got into cider in a big way. I've always liked it, but I never really experimented with it much. As far as I got was getting hosed on Thatcher's scrumpy at The Old Mitre with my friend Tom (not the Tom who writes on this blog - this one's from Bristol so he's a cider freak).
This summer I discovered Aspall cider, which is on tap in a few pubs that I visit in London. It's really, really refreshing and I'd take it over the tepid lager served up in most pubs any day. I started buying their Dry Premier Cru bottling which is available in most supermarkets and before I knew it I had a cider habit.
I haven't really geeked out on it, but here's a short list of the ones I have been drinking:
1. Aspall Dry Premier Cru. Dry, crisp, ever so slightly tart. Strong at 7%. My favourite. Widely available.
2. Thatcher's Katy Rosé Cider. Pink and marketed at women, but it's nicely dry and immensely gluggable. 5.4%. Sainsbury's.
3. Cidre Breton. Full flavoured cider from Brittany, France. £3.99/L at Oddbins.
4. Waitrose Traditional Farmhouse Dry Cider. Comes in a big 3L plastic bottle and only costs £4.39, but it tastes anything but cheap. Also comes in 2L bottles. 6%.
5. Sainsbury's Strong Dry Cider. Also comes in 3L bottles but only costs £3.12. Not massively flavourful, but will do in a pinch. 5.3%.
The last two, the 3L bottles, may bring to mind drunken teenagers, etc. but to me they are cheap and cheerful refreshing summer drinks. White Lightning they are not.
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