Cider Extra Brut «Korrigans» 2024

Romain and Thomas have named their cider project ‘Frères de pommes’. A lovely play on words, isn’t it? The source of this apple wine, which the duo press in exactly the same way as champagne, is fruit from mighty, ancient trees rooted in the departments of Orne and Cotentin, deep in the west of France, in Normandy. Organically grown, that’s for sure.

Six apple varieties – old local ones we’ve never heard of before – Binet Rouge, Douce Moën, Marie Ménard, Kerien, Avrolles and Petite Jaune – are crushed, pressed and then, just like Romain and Thomas’s champagnes, fermented and aged in small, used wooden barrels. ‘Sur Latte’ is where the apple wine sits alongside the house’s fine champagnes before it is disgorged and sealed with a crown cap using a single gram of dosage. No sulphur is added to this wine either. Unlike other apple wines, this sparkling cider is bone-dry and on the fresh side of the spectrum, without lacking a delicate creamy note on the finish. This is a cider for wine lovers. A devilishly tempting change of pace that’s great fun, and wonderfully light with just 7.5 per cent alcohol.