Where Cider Gets a French Kick

By MARIALISA CALTA

ASK for a glass of "cidre" in Quebec and you will get not the unfermented, unfiltered juice of the apple that cider drinkers in the United Statesexpect, but an alcoholic, sometimes sparkling beverage that can rangefrom sweet to dry. Ask for cider in the Eastern Townships — a sprawlingarea east of Montreal and south of Quebec City — and you are likely to beserved a flute of cidre de glace, or ice cider, an alcoholic beveragemade by fermenting the juice of apples that have been left to freeze inthe frigid Quebec winter. In local restaurants, it is offered, wellchilled, with the cheese or dessert course.

Although there are producers of ice cider outside of the EasternTownships, there is a de facto "cider trail" concurrent with thewell-marked Route des Vins (wine route), which extends from Bedford,Quebec (about 10 miles north of the Vermontborder) on the west, north to Farnham and east to Lac-Brome. At leastfour ice cider makers and five vineyards are clustered around the townsof Dunham and Frelighsburg, just east of Bedford.

In the fall, the rolling two-lane roads of the area are lined withyellowing cornstalks, neatly planted rows of grapes and apple orchardsadvertising "auto-cueillette" (the French equivalent of pick your own).Lumbering farm vehicles occasionally slow travel to a crawl. Smallvillages — many with beckoning restaurants, boutiques, galleries andbed-and-breakfasts — make for lingering side trips.

Quebec's tradition of winemaking dates back to Samuel de Champlain'sfirst forays down the St. Lawrence River 400 years ago, and hardfarmhouse cider became commonplace among early settlers. But thehistory of ice cider is relatively new: it is a signature Quebecoiseproduct developed in 1989, a spin-off from the ice wine production thattook off in Ontario in the 1970s.

The man generally credited with the creation of cidre de glace is Christian Barthomeuf, the cider maker at Domaine Pinnacle and the owner of his own vineyard, Clos Saragnat, both in Frelighsburg. Tall, lean, with shaggy gray hair, Mr. Barthomeuf is a native of the Massif Central region of France. He planted the first vineyard in Dunham in the 1970s, and by the1980s was making ice wine, the fermented juice of grapes left to freezeon the vine.

"One day, I was very depressed," he said. "And I thought, why don't I try something new?"

Having made ice wine, he hit upon the idea of ice cider. "And it worked, and here we are," he said.

In 2000, Mr. Barthomeuf began making ice cider at the new DomainePinnacle, which shares the southern slope of Pinnacle Mountain withClos Saragnat.

In 2004, on 86 acres sold to him by his employer, Mr. Barthomeuf anda partner, Louise Dupuis, opened Clos Saragnat, where they concentrateon making ice wine and cider liqueurs, and a small amount of ice cideras well. The bottled products are sold from a small boutique in themonastic-looking stone and stucco winery built on the property.

Next door, on a hillside that commands sweeping views of Vermont,stands Domaine Pinnacle, which, with its 430 acres and 10 varieties ofapple trees, claims to be the leading producer of ice cider. On atypical fall day, Domaine Pinnacle is busy with cyclists, bus groupsand other tourists who stop for the free tasting of the ice ciders or a$10 "tasting plate" of local foie gras mousse, Quebec cheeses and appletart.

Domaine Pinnacle produces ice cider, a reserve ice cider (made froma blend of rarer varieties), sparkling ice cider and Crème de Pommes,an ice cider cream liqueur.

The market for ice cider — sold as "ice apple wine" in the UnitedStates — is growing, says Charles Crawford, who started Pinnacle withhis wife, Susan. In 2001, the entire market comprised "maybe 15,000 to20,000 bottles," he says. "It's up to half a million."

Domaine Pinnacle's cider is available in 15 states across the border and in a number of other countries.

Every ice cider producer has a signature twist on the product,whether it be a special blend or process. For example, at the Vignobleles Blancs Coteaux in Dunham — a vineyard that also produces ice cider— Jacqueline Dubé said her tart L'Empire ice cider is made with 80percent Empire apples, while Mr. Crawford said his blends include,among other varieties, Empires, Golden Delicious, McIntosh andSpartans.

Generally, ice cider is made by allowing apples to freeze on thetree, or by picking them and allowing them to freeze outside. Thefrozen apples are pressed, and the juice is then left outside to freezesome more, to "concentrate flavors," Mr. Crawford said. It is thenfermented, using wine yeast, for eight to nine months.

At Domaine Pinnacle, the ice cider is blended after fermentation;other ice-cider makers blend it before. He said it takes 80 apples tomake one 375-milliliter bottle. Ice ciders of the region typically sellfor $20 to $25 a bottle, and contain 10 to 12 percent alcohol.

Mr. Crawford is a booster of all things artisan in the EasternTownships, including competitors like Clos Saragnat and Val Caudalies,a 104-acre winery and orchard in Dunham that produces an ice cidercalled Réserve d'Éole. He proudly shows off the historic features ofthe area — churches, mills and museums — and guides a visitor to hisfavorite brew pub (Brasseurs & Frères in Dunham) and restaurants.

These include Le Nid de Poule in Dunham (which is also a bed-and-breakfast inn) and La Girondine in Frelighsburg (whichalso produces a foie gras mousse made with Domaine Pinnacle ice cider,confit and other artisan meat products). Both establishments serve atable champêtre, a multicourse meal made up almost exclusively of localproducts.

At Le P'tit Bacchus, a bistro in the center of Dunham that opened in April, the chef AndréBernier offers cidre de glace on his menu of dessert wines, and alsofinds it useful in cooking, especially when making reductions forpheasant, duck and other game dishes.

"It is popular," he says of the drink. "I think people are always interested in trying products of the region."

He echoed a sentiment found on a plaque in a local ice wine vineyard: this product, it read, is "truly from here."

VISITOR INFORMATION: THE ICE CIDER MAKERS

Clos Saragnat: 100, chemin Richford, Frelighsburg, Quebec; (450) 298-1444; www.saragnat.com,also makes and sells ice wine and aperitifs. Open daily from late Mayto Thanksgiving, then weekends through December. Ice cider tastings arefree; other products cost from 75 Canadian cents to 1.50 Canadiandollars a sample, 82 cents to $1.63 at $1.09 to the Canadian dollar.

Domaine Pinnacle: 150, chemin Richford, Frelighsburg; (450) 263-5835; www.domainepinnacle.com. Open daily May through December; tastings are free.

Val Caudalies: 4921, rue Principale, Dunham; (450) 295-2333; www.valcaudalies.com. Open Wednesday to Sunday from June to November. Free tastings.

Vignoble les Blancs Coteaux: 1046, route 202, Dunham; (450) 295-3503; www.blancscoteaux.com.Also available: wine, ice wine and apple aperitifs. Open daily Maythrough December, and on weekends January through April. Tastings are50 Canadian cents a sample.

WHERE TO EAT AND SLEEP

Nid de Poule: 3260, 10ème Rang, Dunham;(450) 248-0009. A five-course dinner featuring local products costs42.50 Canadian dollars (37.50 Canadian dollars for inn guests). Noalcohol is served; bring your own. In March and April, the dining roomis closed, but the sugarhouse is open for traditional Quebec meals,including pea soup, ham and maple pie. The inn has four rooms, two withprivate bath, for 75 to 115 Canadian dollars.

La Girondine: 104, route 237 Sud, Frelighsburg; (450) 298-5206; www.lagirondine.ca.A four-course menu, 32 Canadian dollars; seven courses, 44. Mealsfeature foie gras along with rabbit and duck (among others raised onthe property), sold in the adjoining shop. Bring your own alcohol.

Le P'tit Bacchus: 3809, rue Principale, Dunham; (450) 295-2875; entrees from 18 to 33 Canadian dollars.