Sidreria Formenti Sidro Madre
Sidro Madre is a unique Italian cider, fermented with mother yeast used in bread baking, offering a rich blend of crisp acidity, bready warmth, and fresh apple brightness. With its Champagne-like elegance and deep, nostalgic flavors, it’s a must-try for lovers of complex, food-friendly ciders.
Sidro Madre at glance
- Region: Lombardia, Italy
- Alcohol: 7.1%
- Style: dry, sparkling
- Vintage: n/a
- Apple varieties: blend not disclosed
Cider flavour profile
- See: light hay to golden, carbonated, non-transparent (a tiny bit hazy)
- Smell: fragrant yeast notes – pan brioche, sourdough bread with intriguing mild notes of mustard
- Taste: gentle moussy carbonation, crisp acidity, agreeable tannins, fresh mouthfeel of green apples with comforting notes of freshly baked bread – sourdough loaf; long finish of buttered toast slice
Tasting Notes on Sidro Madre by Sidreria Formenti
Evoking wonderful memories of lazy Sunday morning croissants in bed, or the seaside bakery in Italy I would stop at on the way to a day by the beach, this cider has a peculiar power to day dream if you have a strong connection to baked goods.
This is because Sidro Madre is a cider fermented with mother yeast, the same used to make bread in Davide Longoni’s bakery, a friend of Sidreria Formenti’s founder. It’s aged in wine-derived barrels, matured for 4/5 months, then Sidro Madre is transferred in bottles to undergo a second fermentation.
Given this description, I wonder if we can say that it is bottle conditioned? Although I won’t add a label to this cider’s style without confirming with Sidro Madre’s cidermaker (please do reach out if you are reading this), I will say without any confusion that this cider is spectacular. Yes, I might be partial because I do like dry, funky, yeasty and elaborate ciders that evoke lost history from the past-and as I said in the opening paragraph of this cider review, Sidro Madrereally stirs some pleasant memories-but I challenge anyone who has tasted this cider to say that it does not have personality.
It’s rich yet balanced; it has a crisp acidity which takes nothing away from the bakery notes of pan brioche and freshly baked crunchy bread; nonetheless it retains refreshing notes of the apple variety used in this blend (of which I wish I could tell you more). And even at the risk of antagonising some wine-lovers, I will dare say that Sidro Madre reminds me of certain underrated Champagne-style wines that have more personality than Champagne itself.
Notes from the producers
Original language (Italian): “Tra le arcate di quella che fu un’importante fabbrica legata al tessile, nella brianza che si trasforma, sorge la Sidreria Formenti, un occhio alla modernita’ e uno alla conservazione e lo sguardo lungo e selettivo sulla sostenibilita’ agricola e le sue mele. Due realta’ consolidate, Birrificio Menaresta Craft Brewery e Marco Colzani Nettari di Frutta, situate nello stesso contesto di archeologia industriale, oggi diventato Distretto del Gusto, si fondono in un progetto di innovazione e creativita’. Per dare il meglio che, universalmente, ossa dare un sidro.”
English: “Between the arches of what was once an important textile-related factory, in the transforming Brianza, stands the Sidreria Formenti, one eye on modernity and one on conservation and a long and selective look at agricultural sustainability and its apples. Two well-established realities, Birrificio Menaresta Craft Brewery and Marco Colzani Nettari di Frutta, located in the same context of industrial archaeology, now become Distretto del Gusto, merge in a project of innovation and creativity. To give the best that, universally, cider can give.”
Food pairing
High acidity, moussy bubbles and bready notes: I think with a cider profile like this one, you won’t go wrong if you treat Sidro Madre like a Champagne – creamy rich cheese, perhaps foie gras, or other highly textured fatty rich plates. And if–like me–you don’t have any foie gras kicking around in the fridge, I recommend a good creamy gorgonzola or a taleggio instead.
