For a long time, the art of cider-making was built around blending: marrying several apple varieties to balance acidity, bitterness, sweetness, and aromas. But in recent years, a new path has opened with single-varietal ciders, which aim to reveal the personality of just one apple variety. This approach, inherited from the wine world, highlights the aromatic richness and uniqueness of each fruit, offering more distinctive and expressive ciders.
In France, the most emblematic example is undoubtedly the Royal Guillevic, made solely from the Guillevic apple. It unveils a tangy cider with a very clear color, delicately expressing the typicity of the Breton terroir. Across the Channel, the practice is booming with bitter-sweet varieties like Ellis Bitter or Kingston Black, highly prized for the depth and structure they bring to the blends.
Technically, it all hinges on the choice of variety. It must have sufficient acidity to ensure good natural protection against bacteria, while offering enough bitterness and complexity to guarantee a marked typicity. This work of selection and enhancement makes single-varietals an innovation at the crossroads of tradition and precision, where each apple becomes an ambassador of its terroir.
