Cider and Poiré from Normandy

Normandy may have been a wine-growing region in the 12th and 13th centuries, but it's obviously for a nectar other than wine that it's famous today. Wine production, now extremely marginal, has been replaced by cider and perry. Today, Normandy is France's leading cider producer. Cider was introduced to Normandy in the 6th century by the Basques. Production increased considerably from the 13th century onwards, thanks to the invention of the cider press. Normandy boasts six A.O.C. cider labels, guaranteeing the quality of its products through the selection of regional apple varieties and strict management of production methods: Calvados, Calvados Pays d'Auge, Calvados Domfront, Cidre Pays d'Auge, Pommeau de Normandie and Poiré Domfront.

Normandy's cider orchards produce between 300 and 350,000 tonnes of cider apples each year, of which only a portion is processed by industrial companies. Another part of the fruit is used for family cider production or for artisanal or farm processing.

Traditional orchards are still found mainly in two geographical areas: the Pays d'Auge and the Bocages Normands (southern Manche and the Bocages of Calvados and Orne). The surface area of these plantations has tended to shrink considerably in favor of specialized orchards, or low-stem orchards, particularly since the storm of December 1999, located in Calvados and serving a more industrialized production.