West Avenue – Oracle (2019)
Cider Profile:
Name: West Avenue – Oracle (2019)
Sampled February 2022
| Brand: West Avenue Cider House Type: Apple – Wine Infused Location of Brewing: Freelton, ON ABV: 11.6% Website Link: https://westavenue.ca/ Ingredients: N/A Gluten Free: Yes Sugar Content: N/ASize(s) available: 750ml (bottle) Availability: Limited release – West Avenue retail + online store + better bottle bars Flavour: Apple + red wine blend Colour: Transparent pale peach / pink hues Carbonation: Medium streaming bubbles |
Cider Crate Tasting Notes:
Smell: Light aroma. Wine astringency. Hint of fleshy apple.
Initial Taste: Mild bite from carbonation that moves into an intense (but short) hit of acidity, sourness and bitterness. Once these elements weaken, funky red wine and grape notes emerge.
After Taste: Red wine characteristics dominate. Only into the finish you get some pulpy apples that counter these stronger elements, into a gritty but smoother and very dry finish.
On ice: Dramatically reduces wine notes and mouthfeel. More cider-forward, but overall a weakened beverage.
Additional Notes: West Avenue’s Oracle (2019) is an intense blend of red wines and some cider, that is much different than most ciders and even most other wine-cider blends. It has a very strong hit of flavours and elements upfront – it may make your head jerk. But this is short lived, and the red wine nuances and eventually the cider comes through into the aftertaste. Is decently carbonated but not necessarily a defining element overall. Red wine notes become smoother in the finish, with the promised cider notes also coming through here. A very dry beverage overall.
Rated on a scale of 1-5
Sweet – 1.5
Sour – 3.5
Crisp – 1
Dry – 4.5
Fruity – 2.5
Next recommendations:
More Sweet – Thornbury – Rose
More Sour – Shale Ridge – Cabernet Funk
More Dry –
More Crisp – Lost Craft – Dry Rose
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