The grass is a tender green. The perfume of apple blossoms sweetens the spring air. The time is ripe for a cider tasting sojourn through picture-pretty Quebec. Heck, summer and fall aren’t too bad either. In fact, don’t miss any chance to sample this fizzy, tangy, amber elixir of which the Québécois are unrivalled masters.

It all came about in the 20s when a legal loophole rendered cider drinking illegal in a province fond of the libation made of apples. Of course, absence made the yearning palates grow fonder. So when the province legalized cider in the early 70s, Québécois downed some 52 million litres in 1974 alone. In the 80s, forward-thinking aficionados revived high-quality artisan production. They hit a chord. And in 1998, the you-drive-it Route des Cidres was born in Montérégie, south and west of the island-city Montréal.

Today Quebec is home to 20 small cidreries, and the brew just keeps getting tastier. The Quebec climate yields fruitier, juicier, more fragrant apples, says Robert Demoy, a Brittany-born, Bordeaux-trained Frenchman turned Quebec cider-meister. Colleague Michel Jodoin applied French champagne-fermentation principles for the unique “Méthode Jodoin.” Whether conjuring sparkling or still, alcoholic or non, even an “ice-cider” offshoot harvested after the first frost, this new generation is honing the craft into an art form. All this means, a bubbly tour on the Cider Route is a must for any self-respecting foodie. Santé!
www.tourisme-monteregie.qc.ca
www.tourisme-cantons.qc.ca
www.bonjourquebec.com

The CTC produced a version of this story for its GoMedia website.