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AOC — PDO — Normandy
On a windswept peninsula, a clean, bitter cider, born of apples from Spain and a bocage that has sheltered its orchards for centuries.
Cider-based drink from Normandy, PDO (AOP) since 2018.
Cider production in the Cotentin is documented as early as the 12th century; its rise benefited from successive regulations which, to reserve arable land for cereals, restricted and then banned beer, followed by wine, from the 13th century onwards. Written records already attested to the reputation of Cidre du Cotentin in the 16th century — a renown with which the country gentleman Gilles Picot, sire de Gouberville, remains associated.
In 2000, the Syndicat de défense et de promotion du cidre du Cotentin was established to safeguard this savoir-faire. Its application for recognition as an appellation d'origine was submitted to a national opposition procedure in autumn 2015; the decree of 14 October 2016 approved the appellation d'origine contrôlée « Cidre Cotentin » or « Cotentin », before a European Commission implementing regulation of 26 June 2018 registered it as a PDO (AOP).
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To escape the strong winds that sweep across the peninsula, the orchards of the Cotentin PDO are planted away from the coast, in bocage country, where hedgerows act as both enclosure and shelter: the apples can thus ripen on the tree without falling prematurely. This association between traditional grazed orchards and bocage hedgerows, encouraged ever since the introduction of the first tannic varieties from Spain, has shaped the agricultural landscape of northern Manche.
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Local practices led to the selection of bitter and bittersweet varieties — belle fille de la Manche, cartigny, peau de chien, petit amer, sans pareille, tête de brebis, taureau — which dominate the blends and give Cotentin PDO its highly distinctive character. Local producers use only varieties of the terroir, whose origin must correspond to the geographical area defined by the product specification.
Appearance
Colour between golden yellow and orange-yellow, fine effervescence.
Aroma
Subtle aromas, frequently with notes of butter and dried grass.
Taste
A balance dominated by bitter flavours; the discreet acidity brings freshness. The extra-brut version displays a more distinct tannic structure and bitter dominance.
Texture
Effervescent cider with a fine mousse, obtained through traditional in-bottle prise de mousse.
The fruit is sorted by hand and then washed before being crushed.
The pulp is pressed to extract fresh juice, exclusively pure juice — no addition of water is permitted.
The fresh juice ferments and then develops its effervescence through a natural prise de mousse in the bottle.
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More pronounced and forthright than other Norman ciders, Cotentin PDO is distinguished by an assertive bitterness and tannic structure, particularly noticeable in its extra-brut version. It is a cider of character, well-structured, in which bitter flavours and acidity always dominate sweetness, leaving a sensation of great freshness on the finish.
Since: 2016
Area covered: Northern part of the département of Manche (approximately 330 communes)
Since: 2018
Area covered: Northern part of the département of Manche (approximately 330 communes)
Key requirements: Cider apples and perry pears of bitter and bittersweet varieties make up the majority of the blend (belle fille de la Manche, cartigny, peau de chien, petit amer, sans pareille, tête de brebis, taureau…); all operations, from apple production to prise de mousse, carried out within the geographical area; pure fresh fruit juice, no addition of water; prise de mousse in the bottle
Trade association
Family-run
Family-run
Farmhouse inn
Family-run
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