Cider, but why? The only similarity between this cider and what you get in supermarkets is that both are made from apples. This is an artisanal, food-friendly, low (5% ABV) alcohol drink.
Tasting notes
Highly appley aromatic nose, the palate is dry but not astringent with ripe apple and almost vanilla on the finish without too much unnecessary fizz! Ideal with roasted or cold white meat, cheeses and fruit tarts.
Why we recommend this wine
We first came across cidre on the way back to the UK after a visit to Bordeaux. We decided to lunch in Normandy before catching the ferry and had cidre with the meal. What a revelation! So when we saw this cidre at a local restaurant we ordered it and it was just like the cidre in our memories.
The wine
The apples are sourced from traditional orchards in the North of the Cotentin Cherbourg Peninsula, with minimum intervention, other than sometimes gentle grazing beneath. The juice is obtained in a traditional way with no pasturisation or addition of concentrate or colouring or preservatives. It is 100% pure apple juice. The apples are crushed within 24 hours of delivery to the cidery. Fermentation uses natural yeast, controlled by filtration and centrifuge in order to remove excess yeast. The juice is filtered again prior to bottling. "Cidre bouché" translates to "cider under cork". It's a generic term for a traditional cider that's naturally sparkling due to a secondary fermentation in the bottle. If well cellared, it can be kept for 5 years after bottling, Because the cider is on its lees, the taste will improve and become more complex. It is labeled Saveurs de Normandie and IGP Normandie.
The wine estate
Cidrerie de la Brique was founded in 1953. Distribution was then very local, concentrated in the cafés of Cherbourg and the Val de Saire. Individuals came to fill their bottles using the many emty bottles from cafés and restaurants. In the 1990s, under the leadership of Mr. Dupont, the Brique cider house extended its distribution to Normandy.The Dupont family had been making cider and calvados for three generations in their cidrerie. La Cidrerie de la Brique is now an independent SME with 12 employees, including 3 work-study students.
They use apples from many orchards in the surrounding area. Some have been in existence for more than a century and some new in which they have had a say in the types of cider apples that are grown. They use traditional production methods.
cidreriedelabrique.com
Food and wine
Perfect to accompany mussels in white wine, soft cheeses such as brie and apple tarte tatin. Refer also to our food and wine pairing guide, click here.
Did you know?
Cider apples, which are very different from dessert apples, are small and rich in tannins, which give ‘body’ to the drink. The tipple of ancient peoples, it was called “chekar” in Hebrew, “sikera” in Greek and then “sicera” in Latin, which meant “intoxicating drink”. Whatever its origin, this “apple wine” made from fermented apple juice became “sidre” and then cider.