Heeman’s Swayzie Pomme Grise Cider (9%)

I will admit straight off that the reason I don’t review many ciders on this site is because I don’t drink much cider. No, wait, let me correct that. I don’t drink much cider in Canada.

Take me to northern France or Asturias in Spain, or the West Country in England, and yes, I’ll happily drink cider. But far too much of the cider produced in Canada is sweet, maybe not sickly sweet, but decidedly more sweet than dry. And I get it: Give the people what they want and all that, and judging by the success of such international brands as Strongbow, Somersby, and lord help me, Rekorderlig, people want sweet.

The problem for me is that I find sweet ciders to be too facile, filled with aromas and flavours of apple and sugar and that’s all, folks. Then you have flavoured ciders, which all too often tend to be even sweeter and more simple, and what is perhaps the beverage world’s most egregious waste of perfectly good ingredients, hopped ciders.

None of which is to say that there are not drier styles of cider made in Canada. I’ve enjoyed very much limited edition releases from West Avenue, for one, and though it tends towards the sweeter and fruitier side of dry, have been known to drink a Pommie’s or two from time to time. And the west coast has slaked my cider thirst in the past, although precise brand names escape me at present.

This, however, well, this is something quite different. I did not know of Heeman’s before their publicity person got in touch, but research shows that the family behind the London, Ontario-area farm is dedicated to approaching cider a bit differently, embracing heritage varieties of apple and approaching cider-making in a fashion akin to that of wine-making. This is the only of their ciders I have had the opportunity to sample to date, but if it is any indication, then this is a brand to watch!

Made from an Ontario heritage apple variety they say dates to the early 1800’s, this cider pours sandy gold and bright in the glass, offering a most intriguing nose. There is apple, yes, of course, but also fresh vanilla and pear skin, an earthy herbal note, light florals, and just a hint of baking spices. Aromatically, this is to conventional mass market cider what a Grand Cru Chablis is to an over-oaked supermarket Chardonnay.

The palate entry is sufficiently fruity that I automatically brace myself for sweetness, but none is forthcoming. Instead, there is fresh, slightly tart apple flavour mixed with vanilla notes leading to a drying and ever-so-slightly bitter mid-palate with the vanilla freshness replaced by soft tannins, a touch of lemon zest and citrusy acidity, and a curious hint of baked pie crust. The finish has a touch more bitterness, now mouth-watering dryness, and a suggestion of alcoholic heat.

Simply put, this is an outstanding cider, not at all a peer of the international apple concentrate ciders that populate LCBO shelves and much more the equal of a noteworthy Cru wine at a fraction of the price. If I have one issue, it’s with the bitterness on the finish, but that only really impacts when the cider is consumed as one would a can of cheaper, sweeter cider, which is to say cold and quickly.  

Heeman’s Swayzie Pomme Grise is not such a cider. Rather, it is something to be savoured and shared, perhaps alongside a soft and pungent cheese or a roasted pork loin. In such a context, it is a cider to permanently change the way you think about cider.

90 ($16 from the cidery store)