Cidrerie Stassen releases new cider range

Cidrerie Stassen has launched three premium artisanal ciders using fruit from the Aubel Valley in eastern Belgium.

The range of three includes:

• Stassen Cidre Brut (RRP £8:00), a dry Belgian cider made by combining  apples sourced from the Aubel and Liege regions of Belgium, with pear juice.
• Stassen Cidre Cuvée Rosé (RRP £9:00), a sparkling cider made with rare red- fleshed Geneva dessert apples that are hand-picked in orchards in the Liège regions of Belgium. Their juice imparts a natural pink hue.
• Stassen Cidre Grand Cru, a medium-dry sparkling cider made using juice from a combination of bittersweet and dessert apples from the family orchards in the Aubel region of Belgium.

Fourth generation cider maker Jean-Pierre Stassen, says: “Beautifully presented in 750ml Champagne-style bottles, complete with cork, Stassen is made for sharing. It fits effortlessly into sociable occasions. It’s a pleasure to drink – it’s long, full of flavour and refreshing.

“Cidrerie Stassen brings people together – it’s been crafted to share! Whether at picnics or garden parties, rooftops or bar gardens, Stassen brings people together over their love of good food, good drink and good times.”

Stassen is rooted in heritage and 120 years’ worth of history. It was founded by Léon Stassen in 1895 and handed down through four generations of Stassen family. After World War II, there was a lack of Champagne, so Léon decided to make his sparkling cider to offer an alternative, using a strain of champagne yeast which is still used in the Grand Cru to this day.

Stassen ciders are available from Sainsbury’s and selected bars and pubs across the UK.

10 August 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor