Where To Buy Normandy Cider

I used to go to La Ferme de la Butte in La Meurdraquière to buy Normandy cider for the gite. They were fairly local to me at around a 15 minute drive away. I included a bottle of their cider in my welcome basket for guests. In 2019 the farm was bought by another local cider producer. The new owners are based at Chanteloup near Bréhal and I now buy from them

Products

The farm produces sparkling cider (semi-sweet and dry), sparkling pear, Calvados (an apple brandy) and pommeau which is an aperitif. They also produce their own apple cider vinaigrette and sell apple juice.

I have sampled the semi-sweet cider (doux) made by the previous owners. It was very pleasant and you could definitely taste that it was made on a farm. The chateau produce a dry cider (brut) but I tend to buy a slightly sweeter variety called fruité.

I’ve also tried the pommeau and at 17% proof it certainly warms you up. It’s a lovely aperitif and is stronger than cider but not as strong as Calvados.

The Calvados is aged in barrels for either 5 or 10 years and comes in various sized bottles from 20cl to 150cl.

How To Find Them

The chateau is just outside the village of Chanteloup. It’s easier to take the D971 road from Bréhal towards Granville. At the first roundabout take the D20 road signposted towards La Haye-Pesnel and Le Loreur. The chateau is set back from the D20 on the left hand side of the road. You call also take a paid tour of the Château de Chanteloup or visit the on-site shop. The shop stocks other local produce including beer, soap, jam and caramel sauce.

A Cider Event in August

The Ferme de la Butte site is still used to harvest the apples and also for an open weekend. This usually happens in August and was started by the previous owners. It’s an opportunity to see how the cider is made. I chatted to one of the owners when I visited in 2019 just prior to it being sold. She explained she moved to the farm in 1961 when she married her husband. The farm had belonged to his parents. At first they used to make cider and calvados and also sold apples. Gradually, they added other products to their range.

Other Producers

There’s a list of producers on the Maison Cidricole de Normandie website. It is only for producers affiliated to them so is not a comprehensive list. You can also visit La Ferme de l”Hermitière in Saint-Jean-des-Champs near Granville. There is a cider museum here too and a shop.