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A cider produced in France is distinct from those produced in England, Sweden, Poland or Denmark and for good reason: each local set of regulations defines the minimum authorized quantity of apples for its own productions. Europe is currently working on a project to harmonize the definition of the drink -- something many French cider makers are worried about. Here's why.
A cider produced in France is distinct from those produced in England, Sweden, Poland or Denmark and for good reason: each local set of regulations defines the minimum authorized quantity of apples for its own productions. Europe is currently working on a project to harmonize the definition of the drink -- something many French cider makers are worried about. Here's why.
Marie ménard, binet rouge, chevalier jaune, Michard, Petite Jaune... In France, there are a host of different varieties of apples used for cider-making; in fact there are more than a thousand kinds of cider apples! Whatever names the fruits go by, their various colors, textures, odors and sweet-tart balances ensure the vast diversity of gustatory experiences offered by French ciders. According to the decree published in the official government register on September 30, 1953, a cider is any drink "resulting from the fermentation of fresh apple must [pulp and skins] or a mixture of fresh apple and pear must, extracted with or without the addition of water." The phrase "pure juice" is also included to specify that the liquid should not have been supplemented with water. When water is added, the proportion must not exceed 50% of the total volume of must. This is a step that takes place during the stage of the process that involves apple fermentation. It does not refer to adding water to a cider at the time of bottling... On the other hand, the famous drink from the regions of Normandy and Brittany can be made with apple concentrate, provided that the proportion of apple concentrate must does not represent more than 50% of the total volume of the must, regulations stipulate.
While all these specifications may seem simply to be details, they're actually very important because not all European cider producers rely on the same recipe. England's famous cider must be made with a minimum of 35% apple juice. In Sweden, a cider can be designated as such despite apple must making up 15%. In Poland, this proportion goes up to 80%, while in Spain -- where the Asturias region is known for its production of ciders -- producers share the same working philosophy as their French colleagues by only recognizing a drink as cider if it contains 100% fruit.
When it comes to regulations on the European scale, clearly the member states do not have the same interpretation of what a cider is. This is why the European Commission has undertaken a project to standardize the definition of the drink within the Union. To date, there are no regulations on a Europe-wide level that define the parameters that mean a drink can officially be classified as cider.
France is the world's leading producer of cider, with some 2,000 French farmers producing it, according to data from FranceAgriMer. Although production has been halved over the last century, some 900,000 liters are now produced each year. And the best of them are recognized through four protected designation of origin labels, namely Cidre du Pays d'Auge, Perche, Cotentin and Cornouailles.
In a recent interview with France Bleu, Emmanuel Palfray, president of the Maison Cidricole de Normandie, explained the problem with this project of standardizing the definition of the drink. "We do not use the same definition when we talk about cider, whether in France or elsewhere. For some countries, and particularly in northern Europe, cider is not necessarily made from cider apples," he said. "It could be apple concentrate and coloring with sugar and water," he emphasized. Specifically, cider makers in France have embraced approaches that are similar to those of winemaking, "with slow fermentations and a whole system of blends of cider apple varieties. While other countries have approaches or blends based on products. And the cider is made in one day in an industrial way, not at all with the same philosophy behind it."
