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With due respect to American teens looking for a soda-pop buzz and British pub-goers too timid for hearty bitter ales, hard cider has never struck me as a compelling beverage. Apple cider -- and I mean the fermented, alcoholic stuff -- is one of those neither-here-nor-there propositions, less complex than the dry wine it aspires to be and not as refreshing or food-friendly as the beer it more directly competes with.

Even hard cider's origins tell a tale of compromise. A staple of southern England and northern France's Normandy region, it was born of necessity in a marginal European climate where, let's face it, the locals would rather be growing chardonnay than apples.

It took the ingenuity of pioneering Quebeckers to make me a convert. I've become a fan of a new and uniquely Canadian entry into the apple beverage category: ice cider.

Borrowing a page from renowned icewine makers in Niagara and British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, a number of craft cider producers -- centred in the Eastern Townships southeast of Montreal -- came up with the idea of letting their apples hang late into the autumn. After the frozen fruit is picked, its concentrated nectar is separated from the crystallized water around it. Once fermented, the syrupy liquid yields an ultrarich, amber-coloured indulgence -- usually measuring 12 per cent alcohol -- that's delicious on its own as a dessert drink or as a sublime partner for such fare as sautéed foie gras or a plate of crumbly blue cheese and toasted walnuts. It should always be served cold.

Unlike icewine, whose mesmerizing flavours span the gamut -- including apricot, peach, melon and yes, baked apple -- there's no mistaking the source of ice cider. The flavour is always big on apple, though it often evokes complementary nuances of vanilla, honey and woodsy oak.

Canadian icewine, sublime as it is, can't lay claim to originality. The technique of pressing frozen, shrivelled grapes in winter was developed in Germany. Ice cider, by contrast, is Quebec's very own creation, thanks to orchards blessed with dependable sub-zero temperatures in early winter and tree varieties hardy enough to hang onto their fruit well into December. But British Columbia is getting into the act too, notably at Raven Ridge Cidery in Kelowna.

Retailers in Quebec, particularly the Montreal area, sell brands from more than a dozen producers. A few producers ship west to Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia from time to time. Some of the best-known cideries have also begun exporting to the United States, Asia and Europe.

France in particular is warming to ice cider. Fine restaurants and dozens of gourmet stores have embraced the French-Canadian novelty, including the famed Galeries Lafayette in Paris. That's a notable achievement, given it was the French wine industry that kicked up a fuss over the importation of icewine. But then, I suppose ice cider is perceived as less of a threat to the fancy grape-based dessert wines of France.Various wine competitions now feature ice-cider categories, and awards have been pouring in for leading producers such as Domaine Pinnacle and La Face Cachée de la Pomme (whose name means "the hidden side of the apple") as well as Domaine Lafrance and La Glacé de la Colline. Ice cider has also been the subject of glowing reviews in such U.S. publications as The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times Style magazine and Playboy (don't ask how I know).

Here's a sampling of the best, in order of my preference.

La Face Cachée de la Pomme Frimas 2004 ($50 for 375 millilitres). Dense and buttery, with notes of stewed apple, raisin, vanilla and cognac-like oak carried on a creamy texture. Perfect for desserts such as tarte Tatin. For more information, visit http://www.cidredeglace.com. Domaine Pinnacle 2004 ($25). Apple sauce and a hint of buttery vanilla lifted by a crisp seam of invigorating acidity. Great balance. I'd pick this for foie gras. For more information, visit http://www.icecider.com.

La Face Cachée de la Pomme Neige 2004 ($23). Thick and luscious, with a fresh-Macintosh apple flavour and long, sweet finish. A good choice for tangy blue cheese.

La Face Cachée de la Pomme Neige Éternelle 2003 ($32). Ultrarich and syrupy, oozing with intense, sweet baked apple and a hint of bitter apple skin on the persistent, rich finish. This is a reserve bottling ideal for contemplative after-dinner sipping.

Domaine Pinnacle Sparkling Ice Cider 2004 ($29.90). Granny Smith flavour gets a lift from a subtle spine of delicate bubbles. I'd bet it would pair well with frosted cakes.

Pick of the week

La Face Cachée de la Pomme Frimas 2004 is dense and buttery, with notes of stewed apple, raisin, vanilla and cognac-like oak.

bcrosariol@globeandmail.com