Cyril Zangs – Saint-Germain-De-Livet, France

Stats:

• 3 hectares of standard Orchard with cattle underneath ¾ of the year
• 17 apple varieties
• Produces 6000-20,000 bottles/year depending on the harvest
• Collectively:
  • 25% bittersweet
  • 10% Sweet Acid
  • Rest are sweets

Harvest: All by hand, no tractors used or owned. Shake and collect from ground into 25Kilo onion bags.

These bags are then left to sweat/rest for a 1 month in the cider barn- Though the later harvested fruit will sometimes rest for 2 months.

Blending at the press: Apples are blended at the press to create different editions from the harvest.

Pressing from September through December.

Fermentation in Fiberglass tanks: Does not do the true keeve but racks off repeatedly to create the incomplete fermentation.

1) Juice at S.G. 1.060 into tank with no temp control all ambient dependent.

2) before losing 5 points rack off

3) rack off 4-5 times to achieve a fermentation rate of 1.002/week

4) bottle at S.G. 1011-1.014

5) bottle condition for 2-3 months

6) Move to riddling racks and compact yeast with standard riddling technique.

7) disgorge, and top off, and cork and cage

Notes: really moldy ceilings, tiny space, delightfully aromatic ciders with a low acid high tannin profile. Slight hints of tobacco resounding.

CYRIL ZANG WITH RICK FROM LIBERTY CIDER WORKS.