Epiphany drink par excellence, cider is coming back into vogue, including in Hérault. A young Montpellier woman began manufacturing it in 2021. Guided tour in his Lavérune workshop.
Cider, the Epiphany drink par excellence, has – against all expectations – its producer in Hérault: Cidrée. Behind this pretty play on words, hides Ninon Briane. Nothing predestined this young Montpellier woman to take the plunge. A graduate of a business school specializing in wine management and a Master's degree from the OIV, she worked for around ten years at Advini.
His fourth vintage, at the end of January, is still in full fermentation in his workshop in Lavérune. She moved there last summer after being incubated for three years at INRA. The thirty-year-old returned to school in Normandy to follow her cider training for a year. She is also completing her professional agricultural certificate because she wants to master the entire manufacturing chain and work with living things.
A cider apple orchard in Saint-Jean-de-Fos
Ninon Briane first bought a fruit tree orchard, in 2021, in Saint-Jean-de-Fos to grow different varieties there. Rustic Aveyron, Normandy and Breton apple trees are planted on ten hectares. An opportunity to be seized due to the presence of the Gignac canal for irrigation and suitable climatic conditions. She carries out this hard work with the satisfaction of returning to manual work. “I needed to do concrete things.” Alone in this adventure, she explains with a grateful smile: “My parents help me a lot with the children, my partner takes care of the marketing.”
A cider consumer to begin with, Ninon Briane has very specific ideas about the product she wants to create. After the apple harvest, in the fall, she sets out in search of the perfect balance between acidity, tannin and sugar. She harvests 15 tonnes of apples in two months – a little less this year – before bringing them into her workshop. After washing, grinding and pressing, the serious things can finally begin.
As with wine, the musts ferment in stainless steel vats. Each is the subject of all his care. It slows down fermentation with cold and very frequent racking. A technique that allows him to develop the aromatic palette. Ninon Briane does not use any artificial input, the yeasts are indigenous, sulphite is added very sparingly in some vintages. If the demi-sec has just been bottled after two and a half months of fermentation, the brut and extra-brut are still in vats.
Seven vintages from demi-sec to extra-brut
You have to wait for the foam to set, during the second fermentation, before bottling. In total, its range includes seven vintages between 3.5 and 7.5% alcohol. Zero sweet cider. The semi-dry, fruity, is easy to drink. The semi-raw, more structured, reveals its complexity. Brut, for its part, has a gourmet profile. Ninon Briane the possibilities of cider apples are limitless. Two vintages are fermented in barrels, an extra-brut without bubbles is similar to a white apple wine. There is also apple juice, cider vinegar, and brandy. Each bears a name based on the same formula as Cidrée: l'extrée, la sansée, la stillée… In large or small formats, its bottles are distributed to wine merchants, organic grocery stores and restaurants in Montpellier and the surrounding area. We are far from pasteurized cider sold in supermarkets. “Artisanal cider regains its nobility”observe-t-elle.
His project this year is to develop cider in barrels. “The bars ask me!” Starting with the neighboring brewer, Malpolon, who sells his ciders in his tavern. Even if she has not yet reaped the fruits of her work, Ninon Briane has no regrets! “Working outside, seeing the evolution of living things, gives meaning to everyday life!”
