Cider growers Normandy

Located in the heart of the Cotentin and Bessin marshes, behind the German military cemetery of La Cambe, the apple trees with high and low stems occupy 19 hectares of the Romilly Orchards. Established as a family for more than forty years, these harvesting producers have rediscovered the cider of the Isigny region, which was very famous at the beginning of the last century - the very famous Isigny cider was, in fact, once sent to Paris on the best tables, just like butter and cream. Ciders are made from local varieties such as Cartigny, Doux Verret de Carrouges, Marin Onfroy, Gros Bois de Bayeux according to precise blends that give them a particular aroma, a "straw yellow" colour and a taste that is unique to it. Nothing is left to chance in the manufacturing process. No medals, no prizes here: the quality and regularity are enough for the reputation of this cider, which gives birth to the house's no less famous calvados and pommeau (AOC). To choose according to the moment, your tastes and dishes among the panoply: the bitter raw, the raw (rounder in the mouth), the semi-dry and the sweet. Nice! Nice! The 33 cl can, ideal for the little ones, is a treasure among other treasures that we let you discover!

Along the pretty roads of Auge, you must stop here! Père Jules was born just after the First World War, when Jules Desfrièches was selling cider from the Auge region to Le Havre. After the farm cider, Jules started distilling to make Calvados. The reputation and excellence of the beverage are passed on by word of mouth, from generation to generation. Today, Guillaume is the fourth to carry the family flag. Calvados from 3 to 40 years old, cider, pommeau and perry: give in to the temptation of a tasting.

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!

An essential producer on the Cider Route! It is impossible to pass through Cambremer without visiting one of the most beautiful and ancient cider cellars in Normandy, founded in 1865 by François Huet. The techniques have evolved, the installations too, but the recipe remains the same, rich in know-how and ancestral transmission. If you want to know more about cider and calvados, this is the place to be! Then head for the shop, where precious beverages (AOC-AOP Pays d'Auge cider, AOC Pays d'Auge calvados...) are waiting for you.

A well-known local cider maker with no shortage of products and certifications attesting to the excellence of its production. Masterfully run by Vincent Pichon, Le Brécéen cider house is located in the heart of the Normandy bocage. The premises, which have been awarded the "haute valeur environnementale" (high environmental value) certification, allow you to discover marvellous ciders, as well as calvados and many other products: juices, compotes and jellies. The boutique is open Tuesday to Thursday mornings, and all day Friday and Saturday!

In the heart of the Bessin, a few hundred metres from the sea, Bernard Lebrec welcomes you every day to discover the products of his cider orchard. Cider, calvados, pommeau de Normandie, Norman aperitif, juice or apple jelly are all easily enjoyed in a farmhouse typical of the region.

A story of passion: that's the story of Maxime Haupais, who took over the family dairy and transformed it into a cider farm whose products are becoming increasingly well-known in the area. In the pretty little boutique created here, you'll find award-winning products of excellence: brut, extra brut, doux and demi-sec ciders, as well as a few spirits. Open Wednesday afternoons and Friday afternoons, you're sure to come and stock up.

Taken over by the young Louis Dethezy some time ago, the venerable Ferme de la Butte, whose cider products have long been a reference, remains among the best establishments in the business. Today, the farm is still the place of production, and it has a nice little cider museum. There is also a point of sale at the nearby Château de Chanteloup, as well as at the Crécey farm market in Saint-Pair-sur-Mer in the summer.

Cidre Fournier is a family story that began in 1943 and has grown steadily over the decades to the point where production is now present in no less than 15 countries. Apple and pear trees flourish on the sunny hillsides. At the boutique, after a short tasting, you can buy cider, apple and pear juice, apple sparkling wine, perry, calvados... directly from us. The house offers no fewer than 70 cider references, including a fine organic range.

The estate nestles at the bottom of a small valley, so emblematic of the Pays d'Auge. Enjoy the scenery along the way. It's here that Nathalie and Jean-Luc Olivier devote all their time to tending their apple and pear orchards, producing cider, pommeau and calvados that have been certified organic since 2000. Of the 44 hectares of orchards, 30 are "high-stemmed". The tour includes an introduction to cider-making, and the store offers a variety of ciders, perries, pommeaux and calvados! Two gîtes are available to rent for a nature break.

The Hérout family's property is composed of orchards of selected cider apples certified Organic Agriculture. It is in the respect of traditional cultures, with 100% organic productions, that a unique cider is produced here, benefiting from the PDO Cidre Cotentin, and developed according to several exceptional vintages. That's not all, here we also produce pommeau and calvados, also among the best in the whole region, as well as fruit juice and vinegar. The place is well worth a visit.

You can't visit the cider factory's production facilities, but you'll be warmly welcomed here. Francis Dupont's Cidrerie de la Brique has come a long way since it was founded in 1953. The nectars are made from apples (and pears) harvested in Cotentin orchards planted with traditional, high-stemmed apple trees and more recent, low-stemmed apple trees of carefully selected varieties. In addition to cider, you'll find pommeau, poiré, organic apple juice... and a 33 cl format called La Brick.

A child of the apple, as he puts it. At the head of a 24-hectare orchard where numerous varieties of apples grow, mainly from Normandy and particularly from the Perche region, the owner and cellar master will be delighted to introduce you to the art of cider making. What's more, you'll be able to tour this 60-hectare farm in true Percheron style. This is a highly courageous undertaking for this young man from Orne, who created his cider house from scratch in 2009 (and has already won gold and bronze medals at the 2011 Saint-Jean des cidres). Planting apple trees, setting up the cellar, making a name for himself, establishing a place for himself in the business (he also sells his apples to the Agrial cooperative) and, at the same time, working towards the arrival of the AOC "Cidre du Perche" label, this is already Grégoire's gamble and path of faith. Not forgetting Juliette, who helps him in his task. Don't you just love young people? So, a refreshing stop-off is obviously welcome in these parts, where the semi-dry and brut cider (typical of the Percheron region, naturally fermented) will quench a passing thirst and liven up some family festivities. Poiré, apple juice, calvados and pommeau, cider and apple jellies are other highlights of the house. The company also likes to share its know-how at open-house events. In spring, for the "Bienvenue à la Ferme" operation, or at harvest time in November. So if you're passing by in autumn... Come and pick your own apples!

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!

In the heart of Bessin, three kilometres from Omaha-Beach, Ferme du Lavoir is a gourmet stop on the tour of the d-day beaches. Miryam and Guillaume Capelle took over this cider-producing exploitation of thirteen acres orchards, four years ago, in 2010, turning to a resolutely organic agriculture. All products come from apples of orchards leads in respect of the fauna and flora surrounding, combining traditional methods and modern techniques with the same concern of relaxing all the flavours of apple. The range is made consists of a semi-dry cider (assembly of eight sweet, bittersweet and acid varieties), typical of the region of Bessin, marked by freshness and the fruity touch unusual and raw cider (assembly of sweet, bittersweet and bitter varieties), marked by a more pronounced bitterness. Thanks to a cellar, natural plugs foam are particularly well controlled. A know-how noticeable every year with the competition the Saint-Jean of the Ciders organised by the Maison Cidricole de Normandie where Ferme du Lavoir was awarded a silver medals in 2011, 2012 and 2013, especially for its semi-dry cider with the delicate mousse and very fine effervescence.

Along the way, don't miss La Sapinière. A visit to the estate, from the orchards to the cellars, is a fascinating immersion in the heart of a family history lovingly perpetuated for six generations. Regularly awarded laurels at regional competitions, the estate's production includes four nectars: cider, the flagship product, pommeau, calvados and apple juice. There's a cider for every palate, available in four cuvées: demi-sec, brut, "Verger du littoral" and, at the top of the bill, the special "Rivage du Bessin" cuvée, star of La Sapinière.

Théo Capelle tells the story of cider, calvados, apples, and its fabulous nectars, from a family production. The Théo Capelle cider-distillery consists of 10 hectares of orchards, 6,500 apple trees, fifteen varieties, a press and a shop. The orchard, distillery and shop can be visited all year round. You can stroll through the apple tree alleys, listen with delight to the sweet vocabulary of apple work, and discover the still where the AOC Calvados and the AOC Normandy pommeau are distilled. Of course, you can taste some of the clever potions!