The Production of Cider

"It's golden and, being unpasteurized and unfiltered, cloudy. In my mouth, it transforms into apples and plums, swimming in a thin, effervescent and deliciously yeasty liquid"  New York Times Nov. 2000

Production: The apples we are using are the same as those we use to make Calvados - they are apples from a small region of Normandy : the Pays d'Auge. The soils of the Pays d'Auge are clayee and marly. As those soils are very poor, they restrict the growth of the trees.

The apples are handpicked at good maturity. After a 3 to 4 week s of ripening period in open worked wooden boxes, called "palloxes", the apples are crushed. The pulp soaks for  few hours in order to develop the colour and the aromas. Then, the pulp is slowly and strongly pressed. The yield is about 600 litres of apple juice by ton of fruit. This juice is put in a prefermentation tank where the natural enzymes start their action. This natural clarifying stage leads to the formation of the famous "brown hat".

Then the limpid juice is extracted and sent in the alcoholic fermentation tank where it stays for several weeks.
At the end of this slow fermentation, the residual sugar is 30g/litre. The cider is bottled for the froth development and the fermentation will carry on in the bottle. The natural carbonic gas, freed up and shut up by the cork, will lead to the cider's natural effervescence. The yeast will form a deposit which contributes to the aroma development.
The cider, which is keeping in standing upright and in good conditions (less than 15ºC temperature), will improve. The froth will get thinner and the cider more fleshy.

Le Domaine Dupont has Cider of Pays d'Auge which  is strong and well balanced. Its colour is intense : orange yellow and amber. Its froth is delicate, white and  persistent. The nose is intense and complex. It depends in its age but this cider delivers primary fruits aromas (apples, citrus fruits), vegetal aromas (undergrowth, pine, lime tree) or animal aromas (butter, leather), and finally strong aromas (wood, fire, cocoa). The mouth is round and pleasant with a hint of bitterness. The effervescence is strong enough to bring a fresh sensation.

"To find our cider in the USA, please contact B.United International In: www.bunitedint.com 

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