When I think of funky dry cider, I picture the lush pastures of Normandy cow country. The ciders of Éric Bordelet are some of the first that come to mind. A former somm at l’Arpège in Paris, he returned to his family’s property in southern Normandy (must be nice) to produce cider in the style of a fine sparkling wine, instead of quaffable pub afterthought. Depending on where you live, bottles like his Poiré Granit are mainstays on a lot of wine lists in SF.
Cidrerie du Vulcain was a more recent find. Made not too far from Gruyère, the region known for producing incredible cheese and double-crème, it’s a combination of old native pear, apple, and quince varieties that are picked from around the region. I imagine the trees are pretty gnarly. For what it’s worth, it’s not pasteurized. Very refined stuff.
Another somewhat obscure find is Cyril Zang’s Ciderman from Normandy, imported by Selection Massale. It was tough to track this down but I eventually did at Discovery Wines on Ave B in NYC. Zang has a few different cuvées, and Ciderman is a brut that comes in a lovely 12 oz bottle. There’s definitely a barnyard funk to it that might put some off, but I thought it paired great with our Thanksgiving meal.
