Experience J Apprends A Deguster Le Cide Credit Otgtm Lea Guillotte 38349 1920px 2Philippe welcomes you to the courtyard of his cider house in the bocage of Coudeville-sur-Mer, 5km from the beach. “Born in a cauldron of cider”, as he puts it, he explains his background as a farmer’s child, having worked in banking and real estate before returning to his roots. He also shares his vision of cider. His aim is to restore this excellent beverage to its former glory, like a Norman ‘champagne’. To do this, he takes you on a tour of his 5-hectare orchard, with its 500 apple trees of 13 different varieties, which he planted himself over 15 years ago. At every season and time of day, his orchard brings you its variations of colours, smells and sounds: when it’s in full bloom in the middle of May, it’s full of the scents of the buzzing bees that come to pollinate the apple blossoms. At the end of the day, when the sun begins to sink, it envelops the orchard in a soft orange glow… It’s both peaceful and full of life here, with cows in the orchard and swallows and other birds flitting between the apple trees. This biodiversity is Philippe’s ally when it comes to natural insecticides! In fact, he explains to you as you wander around that he doesn’t apply any treatments, and that the beetles are collected by hand. Philippe works 100% with nature.
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Experience J Apprends A Deguster Le Cide Credit Otgtm Lea Guillotte 38349 1920px 4You leave the orchard with Philippe and head for the package press, which dates back to the 1930s, where he explains the cider-making process after the harvest. The cider is crushed and then pressed to recover the precious liquid. Then on to the farm’s cellar, which dates back to 1800. If you’re there between April and September, you’ll come across many swallows nesting in the building adjoining the cellar. An adjacent room houses the stainless steel vats in which the harvested juice is fermented. You’ll need to concentrate to fully understand the importance of the right temperature for the indigenous yeasts to awaken or fall asleep, in order to achieve the right balance of aromas and sugar levels. He shows you an object that you must identify Philippe does not add any sulphites and the wine foams naturally. Philippe goes on to show you the cider cycle, including subtirage and bottling. Finally, you discover the whole range of products he offers. You’re already convinced that Philippe is passionate about demonstrating the extraordinary aromatic richness of apples. You also realise how complex it is to create this product if you want it to be of good quality. But there’s still one important step: how do you recognise the different flavours and aromas in a cider?
Philippe then welcomes you to his tasting room. In this cosy room, decorated with photographs of the estate, you’ll discover a box containing a range of aromas typical of cider. The initiation can begin. Philippe gives you the keys to discovering and practising cider tasting, as well as apple juice, pommeau and even calvados. Using a visual, olfactory and gustatory approach, you’ll be able to qualify what you see, smell and taste, far from a traditional holistic approach. These tastings are followed by discussions and exchanges with the producer or other people present. They will open the doors to the world of cider making. Proud of what you’ve learnt, and keen to repeat the experience of tasting at home, you’ll leave with several of Philippe’s products, so that you too can enjoy some “real Norman cider”.
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