Made by: Lucia Maria Melchiori

Made in: Predaia, Trento

Style: Dry

ABV: 5%

Carbonation: Lightly Sparkling

Bought: Tesco

Price: £2.00 (500ml bottle)

Producer’s website: Angioletti Cider

I can only assume the cider buyer at Tesco wasn’t paying attention the day he or she decided to list this Italian outlier. There’s no other explanation for how a 100% juice cider with no concentrate, artificial sweeteners, flavourings or colourings ended up sharing a shelf with a wall of Kopparbergs, Rekorderligs and Brothers Toffee Apple ciders.

The fact that the line is no longer listed on the Tesco website suggests that said buyer has since realised his/her mistake and rectified it. Normal service has been resumed. Shame, that.

Angioletti is made by family-run craft cider and beer brewery Lucia Maria Melchiori from apples exclusively grown in the Italian Dolomites.

The company was founded in 1994, initially to produce high quality balsamic vinegars and juices but soon evolved into making cider, being as they were already pressing apples and fermenting the juice to make vinegar. In 2013 the company also began making its own craft beer in a purpose-built microbrewery.

The company now produces half a dozen ciders including a fairly intimidating sounding rosé cider with blueberry, although even that is 97% apple juice and 3% fresh blueberry juice, so fair play. Kopparberg, it ain’t.

TASTING NOTES, AFTER A FASHION:

It’s the Angioletti Secco that’s getting the once over tonight. It comes in a very nice little dumpy bottle that’s reminiscent of a prosecco bottle and I guess that’s on purpose. If it helps convert a few fizzy wine drinkers to the appley dark side, that’s all good with me.

In the glass it’s very pale yellow with bright golden highlights and full of busy little bubbles. So, prosecco again.

On the nose it has lot of ripe green apple, apple blossom and lots of vinous notes. In other words, it even smells like prosecco. There’s a bit of sweet tropical fruit in there too, maybe passion fruit. The aromas are all quite light and clean and elegant.

In the mouth it’s light and crisp with plenty of firm acidity to counter the gentle apple sweetness. It’s got a bit about it, actually. There’s more tropical fruit alongside the apple and a very slight creaminess. Secco obviously means dry but it’s not dry in any meaningful sense. It has a bit of tartness and astringency, but only enough to balance out the sweetness.

The finish is crisp and edges towards a fuller dryness the longer you let it linger at the back of your throat. It’s a very specific light and fresh style of cider but it would hit the spot on a warm day and would be a great starter-for-10 to try out on friends that ‘don’t like cider’. They’d like this one.

3️⃣/5️⃣