This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
For several years now, Quebec cider production has been booming. The arrival of new innovative producers, an explosion in the number and diversity of products, fruitful collaborations, popular events: Quebec ciders compete in inventiveness and have everything to seduce us.
To say that Quebec ciders are booming would be an understatement. Between 2016 and 2021 alone, their consumption doubled, going from 0.4 litres/inhabitant per year (the equivalent of a can) to 0.73 litres (the equivalent of a bottle). “We are still a long way from the popularity of beer and wine, which represent dozens of litres per inhabitant, nor from the English, who consume an average of 20 litres per year, but we are growing every year,” confirms Catherine St-Georges, general manager of the Producteurs de cidre du Québec.
It must be said that the traditional profile of Quebec cider, carbonized and sweet-tasting, now rubs shoulders with a multitude of others. From natural ciders in spontaneous fermentation to maceration ciders, including flavored ciders (with herbs, flowers, fruits, hops, grape marc, etc.), barrel-aged ciders, distilled ciders and cider-based cocktails (spritz, mojito, sangria, etc.), the market is now full of options for all audiences. And this is just the beginning, says M.me St-Georges. “Thanks to the proliferation of techniques, varieties, collaborations and formats—think cans—the possibilities are open,” she says. “It should also be noted that new cider producers from the worlds of beer, wine and restaurants are bringing very promising ideas to the table.”
Cider for all occasions
Among the new players that count, we think of Chemin des sept, a cider house established for eight years in Montérégie. Started on a small family orchard and an old converted garage, the project of Frédéric Le Gall and Étienne Tremblay, both from the brewing world, now covers around ten hectares and represents a production of 35,000 litres per year. A drop in the ocean compared to other large cider producers who sell up to 500,000 litres per year, but this cider house has still managed to retain a loyal public eager for drier and more complex ciders.
“Our signature is quality products. But we want them to be accessible and good for all occasions,” says Frédéric Le Gall. “They can therefore be served as an aperitif, an afternoon by the pool, or during a meal with friends.”
The Chemin des Sept ciders have the particularity of being vintage, just like wines. Why? “Because the apples we produce do not have the same sweetness every year. So, even if we have the same basic profile, the result differs,” explains the cider maker.
This house also stands out for its barrel-aged ciders, such as the Turbo Sin, aged in oak barrels that once contained Péché Mortal Bourbon, from the Dieu du Ciel brewery! But also for its macerated ciders, barrel-aged or not, with morello cherries, rhubarb, blackcurrant or even dandelions. It also stands out for its small productions, in the form of collaborations with winegrowers, of grape marc ciders. “Every year, we discover, we try and we have fun,” confirms Mr. Le Gall, convinced that thanks to the diversity of ciders, it is now impossible not to find one to your taste.
Wine and urban ciders
In addition to brewers, the world of ciders attracts sommeliers and winegrowers. This was the case, for example, for Pauline Macera and Raphaël Lefort, who trained in viticulture and oenology in Burgundy. “We initially wanted to buy an estate or an orchard, but the cost was excessive,” she says.
Thanks to the organization L’arterre, which facilitates access to agricultural land, the two entrepreneurs found what they were looking for at Ruban bleu (linked to the cheese factory of the same name), an atypical orchard in Mercier that brings together many varieties of apples, pears and fruit trees. A perfect choice for two equally atypical neo-cider producers, who also chose to set up their processing facilities… in the city! “We lived in Montreal and we found it both innovative and practical, especially since most of our customer base is located there,” explains Mme Macera.
So it was with one foot in Montérégie and the other in the Centrale agricole montréalaise that Cidre Sauvageon was born in 2020. Since then, 18 ciders have been created, including some surprising ones with coffee (Cocorico), or even sea salt and herbs (Salange). “We have remained faithful to our biodynamic winemaking background with natural ciders on which we intervene as little as possible,” says the cider maker, who currently offers twelve ciders on the website, in addition to the three sold at the SAQ.
Cidre Sauvageon also stands out by promoting apples from the ground in two organic orchards in the Laurentians, as well as by collaborating with companies that transform its pommasse (apple residue) into flour or biscuits. A great way to innovate in cider, while encouraging the circular economy.
“We are showing sustainable and tasty alternatives to cider making,” says M.me Macera. And we believe a lot in the future of cider, as light as beer and as worked as wine. There is no doubt that one day it will rival these two alcohols.
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.