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A few years ago, while working on a story about beer importer EuroBrew, I tried a French cider called Clos Normand, a French cider, and I remember thinking it was one of the best beverages I had ever had.
Unfortunately, I’ve never seen it in stores, and although I’ve been trying a lot of ciders the past few months, I haven’t delved back into the world of French ciders because of the cost.
However, the other day I was at Trader Joe’s in Framingham and saw the Etienne Dupont Brut de Normandie, a French cider at a relatively affordable $12.99 for a 750ml caged and corked bottle.
I was looking forward to seeing how it compared to the English and New England ciders I have been enjoying lately.
This French cider was a totally different beast than the ciders I have been drinking. The Etienne Dupont Brut de Normandie is more like an apple Champagne than English or American ciders.
The smell threw me off a little – it almost smelled like wet leather, with hints of apple, although the apple came out more as it warmed. Taste-wise, it was phenomenal. Highly carbonated, the bubbles danced across my tongue. The flavor of ripe apples was intense, and there was a bitterness that I did not expect. I enjoyed it immensely.
Etienne Dupont Brut de Normandie has made me want to try even more of the French ciders that are available, even though they are expensive. It was a wonderful drink.
