Are you looking for an everyday drink that is easy to enjoy and versatile to pair for the warmer months? How about cider? It is refreshing and fruity, gently sparkling, and has only a low alcohol content. Poiré, made from pears, is also delicious and even slightly lighter.
We stock cider from Kerné in Brittany and Poiré from Normandy from the charming family-run business Pierre Huet in Cambremer.
This is where I ended up last November, when I was once again allowed to go behind the scenes of the production of one of France's most famous products with a film crew from Kabel Eins for the show "Abenteuer Leben täglich". François-Xavier Huet, a great-great-grandson of the company's founder, took a lot of time out for us despite health problems. For two days, he patiently answered all our questions, let us try everything, and was simply the perfect host. I would like to express my sincere thanks to him here for this friendly reception and our extremely pleasant long-term collaboration. It is always the people who make the difference and ensure that it will either be a mediocre to average experience or a completely wonderful experience that you will never forget. Merci, cher François-Xavier!
In this article, we will naturally cover the individual production steps from apple to drink, but also the peculiarities of its taste and how best to enjoy cider and which foods it pairs best with.
The Pierre Huet Company
The company was founded in 1865 by François Huet at the Manoir la Brière des Fontaines in Cambremer, on the Route du Cidre in the Pays d'Auge in Normandy. Nevertheless, the company bears the name of François's son Pierre, who took over his father's business and promoted the marketing of the products, which had not been commercialized until then. After several generations of François and Pierre alternating, the current François-Xavier is now the fifth generation at work. François manages the Domaine with only eight employees and has named his son Marius.
Tradition is therefore highly valued here, but so is innovation. For example, the stills used to produce the Calvados, which is also produced here, are no longer heated with oil, but with wood pellets made from wood from the Domaine itself. The waste heat from these stills also heats the entire main house throughout the winter.
In addition, the family largely avoids pesticides, even if this means that crop failures may occasionally occur.
The 30-hectare Domaine is planted with apple trees bearing 25 different varieties of apples, which can be divided into 4 classes: sweet, sour, bitter, and semi-bitter. The bitter apples are not suitable for consumption and are therefore not sold. I always find this kind of thing fascinating, so of course I had to try one right away. To make a long story short: after a single curious bite, the apple ended up in the ditch. The texture is woody, the flesh is sour and bitter at the same time, and it is not juicy at all. Yet it is precisely this category of apple that contributes to the complex and exciting aroma of the finished product.
Accordingly, 70% of the varieties in both the orchard and the finished cuvée are bitter and sour apple varieties. This requirement is firmly established in the cahier des charges, an official set of rules, and is not open to interpretation. Its compliance is strictly monitored by the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine = National Institute of Geographical Indications).
What is cider and what distinguishes it from Hessian Äppelwoi (apple wine)?
Cider is a carbonated alcoholic drink made from apples. Depending on the apple variety used, its color ranges from golden yellow to amber, and depending on the filtration, the cider is either crystal clear or naturally cloudy. In terms of taste, depending on the variety and brand, it can be classified as sweet, sweet-tart, or dry. The longer the cider ferments, the less sweet it is, because the fermentation processes the sugar contained in the cider. The alcohol content can also vary, but usually ranges between 4.5 and 6%.
Hessian Äppelwoi contains no carbonation, tastes rather tart-sour, and contains between 5 and 7% alcohol. These differences are due to the differences in production.
Production Steps
Harvest: When the apples have reached the right ripeness, they are harvested using simple harvesting equipment. This typically takes place between October/November and December.
Sorting: In the next step, the apples are washed and sorted. During this process, stones, stems, and leaves are removed.
Grinding, first fermentation and filtration: After that, the apples are ground into must, which takes about two hours. During this process, the enzymes necessary for fermentation are released. The must obtained this way is stored in an open tank. This allows the aromas to develop and creates the golden-brown color. After about a week, spontaneous fermentation then begins, but it is stopped once again. This is done by re-grinding the must and then filtering it, which removes the yeast from the liquid, without which no fermentation is possible.
Alcoholic fermentation: In April, the must is then transferred to barrels, where the desired fermentation with the natural yeast takes place. This typically takes one to four months – depending on the composition of the must and the desired aroma of the final product (see below).
Bottle fermentation: The final step is bottling and bottle fermentation, for which the cider is left for at least three months – again depending on the desired aroma. In this final step, the natural carbonation is also created, which, like with other carbonated alcoholic drinks that undergo bottle fermentation such as champagne, cannot escape because the bottle is sealed with a cork.
A brief excursion on fermentation:
Fermentation, i.e., the conversion of sugar to alcohol by yeast, always depends on temperature and yeast.
In industrial productions, where the goal is cost reduction and mass production, a lot of yeast is usually added to achieve rapid fermentation. However, this also comes at the expense of the aroma spectrum, which is rather flat in industrial cider.
The formation of complex aromas, which you know from traditionally made cider, takes a certain amount of time. Therefore, small traditional companies that want to produce aromatically complex cider also filter their cider multiple times. Because, as described above, the yeast necessary for fermentation is removed with each filtration. This slows down the fermentation, because it takes about a week for the new yeast to form and for fermentation to begin again.
We once tried the different degrees of maturation and filtration. This was not only visually interesting, but also in terms of taste: You can clearly taste the yeast in the unfinished product and can very well follow how the aroma develops as it ages.
Combination possibilities of the different aroma categories:
In Brittany, cider is often served in earthenware bowls. In Normandy, it is drunk like wine from small, round wine glasses. Its ideal drinking temperature should not be too cold. 10°C is perfect.
We like to drink cider as an aperitif or at a picnic, before, during, and after the meal, and we like to deal flexibly and liberally with the rules on the subject of food pairing. The main thing is that it tastes good!
Of course, the combination with regional specialties such as crêpes or the cheeses of the so-called "Trilogie Normande": Camembert, Livarot, and Pont l’Évèque, is particularly well known and popular.
But if you prefer it a little more distinctive, we have a few more tips for you here.
- Doux. French for "sweet". Cider in this category matures for only about 2 months and contains only a little alcohol at around 2.5%. It is very fruity and sweet and therefore pairs excellently with desserts such as sweet crêpes, apple cake, Tarte Tatin, or even savory dishes with a sweet note, such as roast pork with baked plums.
- Pays d’Auge: The protected cider with a sweet-tart aroma, which matures for around 3 months. The Pays d’Auge cider is subject to strict controls by the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine = National Institute of Geographical Indications). Its alcohol content is usually between 3.5 and 4.5%. It is characterized by a successful balance of sweet, bitter, and a slightly tart note. It is extremely versatile and pairs well, for example, with desserts with fruit or cream, sweet and savory crêpes or galettes, but also with savory dishes and light or even certain red meats such as lamb or duck.
- Brut. French for "dry". This cider matures for about 5 months and contains around 4% alcohol. It has largely lost its fruit sweetness and is therefore more refreshing. A wonderful aperitif, either neat or as a "Kir Normand" (with crème de cassis) and an accompaniment for charcuterie, red meat, or hearty galettes (savory crêpes made from buckwheat flour).
In addition to its star product, cider, Huet also produces Calvados and Pommeau. The legendary Calvados is a high-proof fruit brandy that stands in the shadow of its great brothers Cognac and Armagnac in Germany – in my opinion, unjustly. The lesser-known Pommeau is a caramel-brown sweet liqueur wine with only 17% alcohol, which is drunk neat or on the rocks as an aperitif. You can find both of these in our range as well.
We are happy to answer any further questions in a personal consultation. Contact us, we are happy to help!
>>> Here you can find the article “Nationenkampf: Apfelwein vs. Cidre” from the show "Abenteuer Leben täglich" in the Kabel Eins media library.
