Brittany
The Cornouaille area, at the far west of Brittany, is a territory of occidental Europe.
Once a celtic kingdom in the middle age, it was a pillar of the Brittany Duchy in it’s hour of glory. Now a major destination for tourism, visitors come for the beauty and diversity of landscapes, drawn by the ocean and the quietness of its untouched countryside. It’s strong cultural identity, the richeness of its heritage, its gastronomy inspired by the ocean and the inner lands where you can find the only PDO cider of Brittany, are some of the reasons you would come rejuvenate there. It’s the melting pot of artistic creation, keeper of a millenial celtic tradition, it’s a first class place for nautical sports and sailing race and it’s also very well-know for its numerous music festivals.
History
For the bretons, the apple tree symbolizes the link between the livings and the deads, that’s why the Isle of Avalon (meaning apple tree) is King Arthur’s residence. Since always, breton farmers has been producing a fermented apple beverage, but it was in the XIV C when the Abbey of Landévennec strated working on the selection of cultivars that cider became a popular beverage and then from the XVII C, a specialty of Cornouaille.
Heritage
Collections of old toolsare exposed within some cideries. Then cider is also the base of an inmaterial heritage present in litterature (La Chanson du Cidre, F. Le Guyader, 1901), popular songs (Son ar Sistr), paintings (La Foire de Quimper, O. Perrin, 1810), etc. It’s worth noting that the cider apples of the region all have breton names. Those names usually tell the (his)story of the apple.
Cider
A vast array of sweet and dry, bitter and fruity ciders are made there but the most well-known, still made by few, is the PDO Cornouaille. It’s a blend of 100% pure juice bitter-sweet apples balanced by some residual sugar. The sparkling is natural and festive so it’s nicely paired with cheese or savory meals, and not only with «Crêpes». Around 100 cultivars are know in the area and each cidery uses 10 to 20 of them.
Cider Tourism
Hent ar Sistr Bro-Gernev in breton, La Route du Cidre en Cornouaille in French, was created in the 90’s by the CIDREF (association of producers) created 10 years before to revive local cider. Its first missions were to revitalize the orchards, to affirm the quality of the local cider by applying for a PDO and to get visitors to the cideries to buy directly from the cider makers.The work on the orchards had shown the excellence of the local cultivar base. The Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) was obtained in 1996. The modernization of the cideries allowed to open the doors for visitors and to create the Route du Cidre en Cornouaille. Once a simple common sign of open cideries, the circuit got more professional every year and became in 2010 a real circuit where cideries are now gates to a touristic offer mixing nature, heritage and culture. The Route du Cidre en Cornouaille is now present in Tourist Information Office and participate to the activity of the territory where it is an important and authentic symbol.
Experience 1
Every cidery offers free tastings with the cider makers (or family or staff). A privileged moment to learn about the cider tradition, the process, and even learn cider tasting and discover other apple beverages.
Experience 2
In summer the cideries propose guided visits of the orchards and/or workshops. What a good way to discover the presses, the process and tasks of each season but also learn about cultivars, fermentation and the different types of ciders and apple products.
Events
- Fouesnant: Cider and apple juice award during the Fête des Pommiers -108th – Mid July
- Quimper: Food Festival Le Cornouaille Gourmand – End of July (Fouesnant City Hall website has a whole list of apple cultivars from the heritage orchard
- Penfoulig
- Fouesnant: Fête de la pomme at the heritage orchard of Penfoulig – End of October
