The 2nd stop we made on the Route Du Cidre was Domaine Dupont

The facility and grounds was by far the most impressive. The sprauling estate sits on 74 acres where over 13 different varieties of cider apples are used to produce ciders, pommeau and calvados. The history of the Dupont Family in the Pays d'Auge region in Normandy goes back for more than 3 centuries. The oldest known family member, Pierre Dupont, was born in 1703. The Dupont family prides itself on producing perfect fruit first, which they say is a direct result of their terroir, the nutrient poor clay and marl soil. 

While we can't attest to the terrior, we can say that this was our favorite of all of our stops. Their techniques and passion for quality are both something Cider Creek can appreciate. We purchased:

• Cidre Triple - sparkling cider
• Organic Cider - sparkling cider
• Cidre Bouche - sparkling cider
• Givre - an iced cider
• Calvados Cream - also known as Dream Cream, very much like a Bailey's but the base is Calvados.

First location: Bernard LEBREC'S De La Percee

Our first stop was off the cider route, not far from Normandy. If you are headed to Normandy, you'll drive right by Lebrec's. His cidery is inside an old castle, dating back to the 13th century.

Like Cider Creek, Bernard does everything himself. The caveat, he also has his own orchards that have been in the family for generations. He grows, presses, ferments, bottles and labels about 20,000 bottles per year. He gave us a tour of his facility, we saw the fermentation room with fiberglass tanks, the pressing room, his storage room full of old barrels and what seemed like endless shelves of aged cider, and, we even got a sneak peek inside the old archers tower. 

Cider, cider and more cider:

The staff of Cider Creek Hard Cider just returned from an amazing trip to France. After a short stop in Paris, we spent a week in France's cider region. La Route du Cidre is a 40km route about two hours northwest of Paris and is home to 16 cideries. Cider Creek is often compared to the old world style cider that you can find in France.

So, our mission was to : 

• To find the cider that tasted most like Cider Creek
• To learn new techniques
• Develop new recipes
• Meet new friends and build lasting relationships