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Picardy
Among the hedgerows of the Thiérache and Avesnois bocage, cider has been pressed since the 17th century — a golden-orange, gently tart beverage that local producers now want to see recognised with a PDO.
Cider-based drink from Picardy.
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The Thiérache bocage is a land rich in orchards, where fruit growing is a firmly rooted tradition: Cidre de Thiérache has been appreciated there since the 17th century for its subtle, tart flavour. "Apple trees have always been planted here", notes the regional business press, which dates the reputation of the local cider to well before the establishment in Boué of the Materne factory, now famous for its compotes. Up until the 1950s, this cider was the daily drink of grazier families, providing them with a welcome supplementary income.
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The sector was hit hard by the grubbing-up premiums for apple and pear trees in the 1960s, followed by the closure of the Vervins cider house in 1983: all that remained were remnant farms and a few dedicated enthusiasts. After this difficult period, marked by the removal of many old or neglected trees, new fruit growers revived the tradition and set up their own cider houses, working with ancient local varieties. Since its creation, the Atelier Agriculture Avesnois-Thiérache has supported this replanting of orchards and the revival of the cider industry, alongside producers and apple growers.
Since 2021, a collective of four producers — two in Aisne, two in Nord — has mobilised, with guidance from the Atelier Agriculture Avesnois-Thiérache, to champion "Cidre de Thiérache" through an official mark of quality and origin: preserving the bocage, regional varieties and traditions, revitalising the local cider industry and promoting the region. United in the "collectif des producteurs de cidre de Thiérache" and backed by the Région Hauts-de-France, they have initiated the process towards a PDO, a journey that can take up to ten years. In the meantime, they organise tastings to make themselves known to the wider public.
Appearance
Sparkling beverage with a golden-orange colour.
Taste
Subtle and slightly tart flavour, refreshing and subtly flavourful.
Texture
Effervescence achieved through natural re-fermentation in the bottle — never by carbonation; unpasteurised ciders, described as "living".
The cider houses of Thiérache work with ancient local apple varieties — colapuis (formerly known as Nicolas Puy), dello, roquet-vert, sains-richemont — alongside more widespread varieties such as judeline and mettais. The resulting cider comes in sec (or brut), demi-sec and doux styles.
The juice ferments slowly on its indigenous yeasts, with no added products.
The effervescence comes from natural re-fermentation in the bottle, without carbonation.
The ciders are not pasteurised.
The first bottles of the harvest are released around the following June.
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Characteristically tart, Cidre de Thiérache can be enjoyed just as well as an aperitif — where it refreshes — as at the table, where it readily pairs with seafood, charcuterie and white meats. It lends itself just as well to the conclusion of a Sunday stroll through the bocage. The harvest and new cider are celebrated every year in Boué in mid-September, and in Lemé in October — two gatherings that bring together more than 10,000 enthusiasts around old hand presses.
No official sign yet protects Cidre de Thiérache. Since 2021, a collective of four producers — two in Aisne, two in Nord —, supported by the Atelier Agriculture Avesnois-Thiérache and backed by the Région Hauts-de-France, has been aiming for a PDO (AOP). At the end of 2025, they registered the collective mark "Le Cidre de Thiérache" with the INPI, complete with terms of use and specifications, recognisable by the orange sticker on member producers' bottles. The road to a PDO remains long — the process generally takes around ten years, and took twenty years for Cidre du Perche, the latest cider PDO obtained — and only three other PDOs protect a cider in France: Pays d'Auge, Cotentin and Cornouaille.
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Family-run
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Clos de la Fontaine Hugo is one of the last cider houses in Thiérache, run by Grégoire Le Roux in Rozoy-sur-Serre, in the Aisne. Across some ten hectares, the farm works with at least 25 varieties of cider apple and 40 varieties of juice apple, using the traditional method — indigenous yeast and natural secondary fermentation in the bottle. It produces Cidre de Thiérache, Pommel, Péti'pomme, apple juice, cider vinegar, apple jelly and cider confit, as well as Folie Douce, a regional aperitif made from fermented red fruits.
The cider house is committed to the collective initiative to gain recognition for Cidre de Thiérache through an official mark of quality and origin. It offers a tour of the farm followed by a free tasting, as well as an open day every last Sunday of September.
| Address | Vichery, 02360 Rozoy-sur-Serre, France |
| 03 23 97 69 47 | |
| lerouxgregoire@hotmail.fr | |
| Visits | Yes — 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from May to September, from 14:00 to 16:00 (groups of 5 to 50 people); open day on the last Sunday of September; free tasting |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2015. |
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Annie and Didier Dujardin run Le Verger Bio d'Ohain in the Avesnois (Nord), one of the four founding cideries — alongside those in Sémeries, Neuve-Maison and Rozoy-sur-Serre — of the collective committed since 2021 to creating a "Cidre de Thiérache" label designed to preserve the bocage, heritage varieties and the local cider-making industry. The cider is produced here using traditional methods, through slow fermentation with indigenous yeasts and natural refermentation in the bottle, without pasteurisation or carbonation.
| Address | 15 Rue Gros Tilleul, 59132 Ohain, France |
| 06 77 44 64 67 | |
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All production is certified organic, since 2003. |
Family-run
Hubert Vanassche runs Les Vergers Bio des Îlots in Neuve-Maison, in the Aisne, one of the four founding cider houses — alongside those of Sémeries, Ohain and Rozoy-sur-Serre — of the collective committed since 2021 to creating a 'Cidre de Thiérache' label designed to preserve the bocage, heritage varieties and the local cider sector. Cider is made here in the traditional way, through slow fermentation with indigenous yeasts and natural refermentation in the bottle, without pasteurisation or carbonation.
| Address | 18 Rue du Baty, 02500 Neuve-Maison, France |
| 06 32 81 02 99 | |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 1997. |