We're proud to carry the largest selection of Cidre de Normandie available anywhere in the U.S. This collection features cider producers located in the Normandy region of France. To browse all of our French Ciders, Poire, and Pommeau, view this collection here.

France has one of the longest standing cider traditions in the world. Throughout France, there are many micro-climates and terroirs that product distinct flavors and styles of cider. The two most commonly known and highly beloved regions for French cider are Normandy and Brittany. 

Normandy is well known for it's high quality cider (Cidre de Normandie), perry (Poire), Calvados (apple brandy), and Pommeau (a fortified cider product made by barrel aging a blend of calvados and fresh apple juice). Along the Normandy cider trail are several distinct terroirs or local regions of note with their own unique attributes, including: 

• Pays d’Auge - the most famously known cider region in Eastern Normandy, in the Calvados département (départements are localized government geographies in France, of which there are approximately 100 across the country). The Calvados Pays d'Auge is one of three Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée in Calvados (AOC). These AOC's protect the traditions and quality of products made in the area - any cider, pommeau, or calvados labeled Pays d'Auge must meet the minimum requirements for using locally grown fruit, traditional production processes, and quality standards. Most of the Cidre de Normandie we carry comes from the Pays d'Auge region, as it's one of the most robust and one of the most popular areas of cider production in France. 
• Dom­fron­tais - the Calvados Domfrontais AOC in the southern part of Normandy is home to many of the oldest perry pear trees, and regarded by many as the finest place in the world for poire / perry production. We are fortunate to get our hands on at least 2-3 French Perry products from the Domfront region each year - but in highly limited quantity, so grab them when you see them! 
• Contentin - in Northern Normandy, along the English Channel. We occasionally have access to cider from the Contentin region in France. 
• The Pays de Caux and Pays du Vexin are other micro-climate and terroir regions with their own cider influence in Normandy - though you may have to visit France to experience these (we're trying to get our hands on some!). 

French ciders are diverse in style and flavor profile, despite common over-simplifications of their descriptions. Part of that is due to how relatively few products are imported to the U.S. Even within specific regions such as Normandy, the cider profiles can range in levels of dry-to-sweet, complexity, overall profile. That said, there are some commonalities across ciders from Normandy, including:

• Apple varieties used - overwhelmingly each cider will include a blend of bittersweet and bittersharp apple varieties that are rich in tannin and/or acidity. 
• French producers' affinity with soil types and conditions cannot be overstated, and often cider blends are done with intention around the soil conditions of the orchards for which the fruit is grown. 
• French cider producers are commonly family owned estates with century old orchards (or older!). Many of which are farm based estates with dairy cows roaming the orchard before the harvest season. The fruit is usually hand harvested, often picked up off the ground after the apples have ripened and fallen from the tree. 
• Cider production methods are similar across most French cider makers, and typically includes blending of the fruit pre-fermentation. Natural (wild yeast) fermentation is the standard. Ciders are filtered and racked multiple times throughout fermentation through a traditional French cidermaking process known as keeving. Keeved ciders are another common misunderstanding - it's widely considered a process used to result in a lower ABV, sweeter cider, the result of a halted fermentation before all of the apple juice's sugars are converted to alcohol. While thats true for many French Ciders, the truth is the keeving practice is used for nearly all cider production, including ciders that are very dry and that are allowed to ferment to complete dryness. French cider makers consider Keeving consider Keeving to be a necessary filtration process regardless of the intended level of brut vs. sweet finished product, specifically because of the tannin and pectin levels in the apple varieties commonly grown in France. 

Pommeau de Normandie: Pommeau is a fortified cider aperitif made by cidermakers worldwide, though originally made in Northwestern France, including Normandy. It is made by blending apple brandy (Calvados in Normandy) with fresh apple must (juice), then allowing it to mature in barrels, typically for 3-5 years or more. The result is a higher ABV (commonly 16-20% alcohol by volume) that's sweet and rich in character. Best enjoyed an ounce or two at a time. Stored properly in cool conditions, a pommeau can be aged and enjoyed for years even after a bottle is opened - much like a fine spirit. 

Poire de Normandie: Perry, made 100% from pears. More specifically, perry pears that are commonly either astringent, tannic, or highly acidic. Not suitable for eating, relative to dessert pears, but they make exquisite sparkling perry.