Mmmm. Appley goodness.

I’m not much of a hard cider drinker. I’ve had draft ciders on occasion, and although they were an enjoyable change of pace, I was never overly taken by them. On the advice of friends, Jamie recently had a Woodchuck Amber, and thought it was pretty darn good. But, you know, you never really know if something like that is a fluke: that you have conflated having fun with friends with the taste of the beverage.

So, we were at Wegmans, buying last minute bits and pieces for Thanksgiving, and remembered that (due to very silly New York laws) we couldn’t pick up any wine. Now, it turned out that we had two very serviceable bottles of chardonnay at home, but we didn’t know that, and so we decided to pick up a six pack of Woodchuck. My family sometimes had Martinelli’s sparkling cider at Thanksgiving dinner when I was a kid, and I was a particular fan, so I figured this would be a suitable replacement.

Buy was I right. This stuff is absolutely wonderful. I can’t say enough good about it. Unlike some ciders, it is still very appley, it’s not too bubbly, and the alcohol adds to the taste rather than overwhelming it. Go and pick up a six pack, and see what I mean. (No, not all at once. That’s not what I was saying.)

(As always, this is an unpaid endorsement. But I would never turn down a free case, if it showed up at my door.)