ok.... so can anyone describe the taste of lactose or what it tastes like in cider? overwhelming? barely noticeable? aliens took a piece of my liver and cloned me?[/QUOTE
I did this for my wife for the same reason. As far as how it tasted in a cider, my best answer is that it was ok, but not what we were looking for.
In my case the sweetness was mildly noticable (8oz in a 2 gallon batch). It is not as sweet as other sugars. A simple taste test comparing dextrose and lactose will show you that. I heard on another thread that it is 1/5th as sweet, and that sounds about right to me. Other than sweetness, it adds some texture as well. (Milky texture maybe?)
With beers the level of sweetness lactose can provide apparantly seems more pronounced than what I found with my apfelwein, but I don't have direct knowledge of that.
Overall, the wine tasted better to her and took the dryness out, but wasn't quite what she was looking for, however you may find it works just fine.