While all the focus is on Ayuso's frankly hilarious behavior this Vuelta, we need to take a step back in time to Sunday in Brittany for another edition of /WORLD TOUR WINE/ (cider) !!

I had actually picked a bottle of Muscadet from the far NW of the Loire Valley but was able to find an actual Bretagne cidre on sale near me (these are not common in the US). American cider tends to be either a brownish, musty drink if it's non-alcoholic, or a sharply acidic bright and sweet drink made with added malt liquor if it is alcoholic.

AVAL Gold Cider ($4)

This is made from bitter and bittersweet apples, grown by a cooperative of farmers in Bretagne. This pours a pretty, transparent deep-honey with moderate effervescence. The nose is late-fall red and yellow apple. The palate has a lovely tannic quality to it, off-dry. The fruit has fading ripeness, not quite cooked or oxidized. 

It is certainly more interesting than most mass-produced ciders but it doesn't wow me. I would be very interested to try something truly artisanal from the area.