Cider growers Eure

Housed in an old half-timbered farmhouse (^17th-18th centuries) surrounded by a rose garden and kitchen garden, Pressoir d'Or comprises a farm, a 27-hectare orchard and a cellar. In the cellar, you'll have the opportunity to discover the tools used in the past to process apples. On foot, by tractor or by coach, immerse yourself in the passionate world of this producer and discover the different ways to enjoy apples: in cider, in apple juice, but also in the form of jellies, jams or preserves...

Away from the small village of Triqueville, the Jaouen family has been cultivating a 14-hectare orchard for 25 years, where about 9,500 apple trees are perfectly aligned. A lot of work was needed to get the farm back on its feet, especially after the war and the passage of the Germans, but this challenge did not scare the Jaouen couple, who were determined to change their lives.

A challenge won since today, the Domaine de Ponctey, like a Norman bocage overlooking the valley, is gaining in reputation while working its 9 varieties of apples in accordance with the history and authenticity of the farm. Last but not least, its Normandy AOC pommel (3 years old and over) won the gold medal at the 2018 General Agricultural Competition.

The apple trees, all carefully replanted by the Jaouen family upon arrival at Le Ponctey, now deliver their delicious fruits picked, sorted by hand and then transformed into pure juice and pure fruit farm cider, into exquisite pommeau or even into calvados aged in oak casks. In a shop, in an old stable, the gourmet aesthete will also be seduced by products that combine know-how and tradition, such as unfiltered cider vinegar in the traditional way, but also original creations such as homemade apple jelly, which goes perfectly with foie gras, and a surprising cider brandy, which will delight mixologists in their quest for new products. Apple juice, a natural product with no added water or sugar, is added, made in the house. An apple art, according to the Jaouen family, to discover!

When in 1992, Michel Galmel took over this 17th-century farm a few kilometers from Giverny, he decided to transform the cereal fields into orchards to make the cider-making activity the flagship product of the house. It is with great pleasure that he opens his doors to the public today for a visit of the orchard and the cellar. A tour of the owner and you will learn a thousand and one things about the management of the orchard, the manufacture of cider, of course, but at the same time, you will enjoy a magnificent science lesson. The protection of the environment for Michel is anchored in his daily life to the point that the techniques of production are very respectful of the natural environment participate first in this philosophy. While you taste his cider (bronze medal at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris 2014), take the time to listen to his story: the planting of apple trees inseparable from the three kilometers of Normandy hedges that were created at the same time... The cider of Les Ruelles is elaborated thanks to nine varieties of apples whose assembly delivers acidulous fruit flavours. But we won't tell you more to give you time to discover the fruits of this passion: sweet cider, apple juice, apple jelly, jams, cider brandy, cider vinegar...

On the spot, don't miss the two guest rooms to extend your stay and the pleasure, as well as the forest-garden with its cultivated fields on about sixty hectares. Enough to satisfy young and old.

The region may not be well known but its landscapes are superb. Roumois is the "Pagus Rotomagensis" or the "Land of Rouen". But it is also the home of Alain Caboulet's cider factory. Passionate, he took over, in 1989, the reins of the farm bought by his grandfather, Raynald, in the 1940s. On the 25 hectares of orchard, Bedan, Bisquet, Douce Moën, Rouget de Dol grow under the Normandy skies in the heart of the IGP Normandie. The result is a range of products stamped with the "Produit en Gourmandie" label. The Domaine des Hauts Vents cider has won many awards at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris (gold medal in 2013 for the sweet cider) and has been entered in the Vinalies Internationales (where cider products are submitted to oenologists and wine and spirits professionals). That's how good it is. No more time to lose to add these superb nectars to the shelves of your cellar which, for sure, will not be big enough since there are other treasures: pommeau de Normandie (silver medal in Paris in 2008), calvados AOC (distilled in a Charentais type still), pear liqueur with calvados, cider confit, cider vinegar, apple and pear juice and - very new - a rosé cider. You can visit in spring during the open days or in September for the Heritage Days. Don't worry, a sales point is open on the farm, at weekends or during the week by appointment. A shot of cider can be as simple as a phone call!