Cider & Calvados in Pays d'Auge | Noel Guichard

Cider and Calvados from Augeron are like Camembert, Livarot, and Pont-l'Évêque, products of excellence originating from a specific terroir and know-how. As incredible as it may seem, this book is the first one dedicated to the scientific study of the correlations between this unique soil and climate, and the development of a work and traditions that are largely unknown. This unprecedented work is not the result of bookworms or cellar dwellers but the fruit of a five-year field investigation led by two passionate small reporters. Maud Guichard and Benoît Noël meticulously examined the account books of property-harvesters and the archives of semi-artisanal and industrial cider and distillery producers. They traced the descendants of certain disappeared distilleries throughout France and met almost all the actors in the contemporary cider industry. They can attest that from the smallest farm to the largest industrial unit, everyone is convinced they are better than their neighbor, but above all, everyone gives their best. This historical synthesis also highlights the importance of producing healthy and genuine pear cider, apple brandy, apple juice, and cider vinegar. It is not a manufacturer's manual per se, but it is undoubtedly an essential memento for the Augeron, indebted to the cradle of their birth, as well as to a few welcomed outsiders.