Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2022/C 100/10)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within 3 months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’

EU No: PDO-FR-2648 – 1 December 2020

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’

2. Member State or third country

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.8 – Other products listed in Annex I to the Treaty (spices etc.)

3.2. Description of product to which the name in point 1 applies

‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ is an unpasteurised, ungasified semi-dry or brut sparkling cider obtained through secondary fermentation in the bottle. It is made from the pure juice of specific varieties of cider apple.

‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ is notable for its golden-yellow to orange colour, its roundness, balance of sweet, bitter and acidic flavours, fruity notes, slight bitterness in the mid-palate and hint of freshness in the finish.

‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ has the following analytical characteristics:

— an actual alcoholic strength by volume greater than or equal to 3,5 % vol.;

— a total alcoholic strength by volume greater than or equal to 6 % vol.;

— a sugar content greater than or equal to 18 g/litre;

— a minimum pressure of 1,5 bar at 20 °C.

The cider apples used to make ‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ come from orchards located in the geographical area.

These orchards are kept under grass, except for the soil at the foot of the trees (over a radius of 0,30 metres or over a 1-metre strip under the row), which may be cleared of grass.

Tall-stemmed trees account for at least 30 % of the orchard’s total surface area.

The orchards consist of the following varieties of cider apple:

Main varieties:

Bitter varieties: Ameret or Améret blanc Fréquin blanc Fréquin long Fréquin rouge Gringoire Médaille d’or Tardive de la Sarthe Bittersweet varieties: Argile grise Argile rouge Bedan or Calotte Binet rouge Bois droit or Drébois Cartigny Damelot Moulin à vent or Moulin à vent de l’Eure or Moulin à vent petit de l’Eure Noël des Champs (Petit) Jaunet pointu Saint-Hilaire Sweet varieties: Atroche or Troche Bérat blanc Coquerelle Doux Normandie or Normandie Fréquin Lacaille Grise de l’Eure Muscadet petit de l’Orne or Muscadet doré Petite sorte Pilée Roger Guyot Rouge Duret Doux Normand Doux Véret de Carrouges Rousse de l’Orne or Rousse de la Sarthe Acidic varieties: Groseille Locard blanc Locard vert Pomme de Boué or Pomme de Bouet or Boué de Bonnétable Pomme de fer Queue torse Marnière

Secondary varieties:

Bitter varieties: Kermerrien Peau de chien Bittersweet varieties: Bisquet Clos Renaux Douce Moën Sweet varieties: Douce Coët Ligné Acidic varieties: Avrolles Petit jaune

To preserve varietal diversity, cider apple varieties that are grown on tall-stemmed trees but not listed above may account for up to 20 % of the orchard’s total surface area. These are considered as secondary varieties.

Each blend (cuvée) consists of ciders:

— made from apples harvested during the same harvest year;

— in which the proportion of acidic varieties is less than or equal to 20 % and

— in which the proportion of main varieties is greater than or equal to 50 %.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

–

3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The apples must be grown and the cider made in the geographical area.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product to which the registered name refers

‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ is a sparkling cider obtained through secondary fermentation in the bottle. It may be sold in packaged form only, to retain its pressure. Packaging must take place in the geographical area.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product to which the registered name refers

In addition to the mandatory information provided for in the rules on the labelling and presentation of foodstuffs, the labelling must include the name of the designation and the abbreviation ‘AOP’ [PDO] or the words ‘Appellation d’Origine Protégée’ [Protected Designation of Origin] in lettering which is clear, legible, indelible and sufficiently large to be clearly distinguishable from all other writing and designs on the label.

On the label, the words ‘Appellation d’Origine Protégée’ must be placed immediately below the name of the designation, with no other words in between.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area covers the territory of the following municipalities, based on the 2019 Official Geographic Code:

Department of Eure-et-Loir (28)

Municipalities in their entirety: Arcisses, Argenvilliers, Authon-du-Perche, Beaumont-les-Autels, Belhomert-Guéhouville, Béthonvilliers, Champrond-en-Perchet, Charbonnières, Coudray-au-Perche, Les Etilleux, La Gaudaine, La Loupe, Marolles-les-Buis, Meaucé, Miermaigne, Montireau, Montlandon, Nogent-le-Rotrou, Saint-Bomer, Saintigny, Saint-Jean-Pierre-Fixte, Saint-Victor-de-Buthon, Souancé-au-Perche, Trizay-Coutretot-Saint-Serge, Vaupillon, Vichères.

Department of Orne (61)

Municipalities in their entirety: Appenai-sous-Bellême, Bazoches-sur-Hoëne, Belforêt-en-Perche, Bellavilliers, Bellême, Bellou-le-Trichard, Berd’huis, Bizou, Bretoncelles, Ceton, Champeaux-sur-Sarthe, La Chapelle-Montligeon, La Chapelle-Souëf, Comblot, Corbon, Coulimer, Courgeon, Courgeoût, Cour-Maugis sur Huisne, Dame-Marie, Fay, Feings, Ferrières-la-Verrerie, Igé, Loisail, La Madeleine-Bouvet, Le Mage, Mahéru, Mauves-sur-Huisne, Les Menus, Montgaudry, Mortagne-au-Perche, Moulins-la-Marche, Moutiers-au-Perche, Parfondeval, Le Pas-Saint-l’Homer, Perche en Nocé, Pervenchères, Le Pin-la-Garenne, Pouvrai, Rémalard en Perche, Réveillon, Sablons sur Huisne, Saint-Agnan-sur-Sarthe, Saint-Aquilin-de-Corbion, Saint-Aubin-de-Courteraie, Saint-Cyr-la-Rosière, Saint-Denis-sur-Huisne, Saint-Germain-de-la-Coudre, Saint-Germain-de-Martigny, Saint-Germain-des-Grois, Saint-Hilaire-le-Châtel, Saint-Hilaire-sur-Erre, Saint-Jouin-de-Blavou, Saint-Langis-lès-Mortagne, Saint-Mard-de-Réno, Saint-Martin-des-Pézerits, Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême, Saint-Ouen-de-Sécherouvre, Saint-Pierre-la-Bruyère, Soligny-la-Trappe, Val-au-Perche, Vaunoise, Verrières, Villiers-sous-Mortagne.

Municipalities in part: Tourouvre au Perche (only the territory of the delegated municipalities of Autheuil, Bivilliers, Bubertré and Tourouvre), Longny les Villages (only the territory of the delegated municipalities of Longny-au-Perche, Maletable, Monceaux-au-Perche, Moulicent and Saint-Victor-de-Réno).

Department of Sarthe (72)

Municipalities in their entirety: Avezé, La Chapelle-du-Bois, Cormes, Courgenard, Gréez-sur-Roc, Nogent-le-Bernard, Préval, Saint-Ulphace, Souvigné-sur-Même, Théligny.

Municipalities in part: Cherré-Au (only the territory of the delegated municipality of Cherreau).

5. Link with the geographical area

‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ owes its specific characteristics to the area’s soil and climate conditions, particularly the lateness of the climate, which have led producers to adapt their practices in terms of the varieties grown and production methods.

The varieties used are ones that have been selected locally or that have acclimatised to the lateness of the area’s climate. The harvesting and processing of the fruit as the first cold spells arrive help slow down fermentation and are conducive to the development of aromas.

Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors

The geographical area of the designation of origin ‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ is situated in a transitional zone between the Armorican Massif to the west and the Paris Basin to the east. It forms an entity characterised by undulating landscapes ranging from green hills to forests extending over the departments of Eure-et-Loir, Orne and Sarthe.

The sub-soil was mostly formed during the Jurassic and Cenomanian Cretaceous periods. The most commonly found soils are clay-limestone or sandy soils: the chalkstone of Rouen, green clays, and the sands of the Perche. Flint clay – a product of the decalcification of the chalky mantle, which may be covered with loess of varied thickness – is also found here. All these substrates have a good workable soil depth and good drainage.

In terms of climate, the Perche region lies at the intersection of oceanic influences to the west and continental influences to the east. The result is a modified oceanic climate, characterised by annual temperature ranges marked by cold winters (snow is rare, but there may be up to 60 frost days per year) and warm summers.

The continental influence is reflected in the frequent occurrence of late frost, which is common in May and June.

Human factors

Normandy has a long tradition of growing apple trees, but it was only around the 16th century that orchards began to develop on religious or noble estates. By the 17th and 18th centuries, they would cover most of the Perche countryside. Most of the apples grown were for making cider, a drink that had become popular and was produced on almost all the farms of the Perche.

In the 19th century, the region gradually began to specialise in cattle and horse-breeding, while continuing to produce cider. The Perche then became an area of mixed crop-livestock farming, with the distinctive feature of crop fields planted with apple trees.

During the first half of the 20th century, ‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ was being produced on every farm and in specialised cideries throughout the province. The production of apples frequently allowed farmers to double their earnings from the 1930s to the 1950s.

From the 1950s, however, the closure of industrial cideries, the mechanisation of farming equipment and the intensification of agriculture practically led to the disappearance of apple trees from the pastures and ploughlands of the Perche.

It was not until the late 1980s that a number of farmers began specialising in cider production, leading to the revival of the cider industry in the Perche. These producers mobilised the province’s traditional expertise in cider-making, such as the use of late varieties, harvesting the fruit when ripe, or spontaneous and slow fermentation as well as natural secondary fermentation.

Mixed crop-livestock farming – the traditional agricultural system of the Perche – entailed a heavy workload in September and October. Varietal choices were therefore guided by the need to stagger agricultural work and to adapt to the climate of the Perche. Preference was given to late-blooming varieties as they suffer less from the impact of the spring frosts and their fruit ripens at a later stage of the year. Besides the locally selected varieties, other varieties have been introduced to the Perche and have adapted well. Any single variety can be seen to ripen at different stages of the year in different regions, but it is in the Perche that it ripens last. The most common varieties are Bedan, Doux Normandie, Tardive de la Sarthe, Saint-Hilaire, Fréquin rouge and Binet rouge.

The apples are harvested when ripe. Harvesting usually begins at the end of October and continues until December for the varieties that sprout the latest. Brewing mainly takes place from mid-November on. The low temperatures at that time of the year limit microbial growth, which could alter the quality of the product, and allow for a slow start to fermentation. Fermentation in vats, with no addition of yeast, extends over a minimum 8-week period, compared with 6 weeks in other parts of Normandy.

Specificity of the product

‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ is a cider obtained through secondary fermentation in the bottle. It has:

— a golden-yellow to orange colour;

— a balance of bitter, sweet and acidic flavours;

— a slight bitterness in the mid-palate and a hint of freshness in the finish;

— and lively but not abundant effervescence.

Causal link

The abundance of apple trees is the result of the topographical, climatic and geological characteristics of the geographical area. The Perche provides favourable conditions for apple-growing, with its undulating landscape and well-drained soil, which allows the water to circulate and provides a sufficient supply of minerals.

Producers in the province have been guided in their choice of varieties by the traditional practice of mixed crop-livestock farming and the lateness of the climate. The orchards of the Perche include some 40 of the 200 or more cider apple varieties found in Normandy.

The blending of varieties combines the distinct qualities of each category of variety to produce a cider with a balance of bitter, sweet and acidic flavours: rich in phenolic compounds, the bitter and bittersweet varieties give the cider its golden-yellow to orange colour and slight bitterness in the mid-palate; the sweet and bittersweet varieties give the cider its roundness, while the acidic varieties – in limited proportions – lend it a hint of freshness.

The late ripening of the fruit means brewing mainly begins in November. As the temperature is lower at that time of year than in September/October, fermentation is slow, allowing the distinctive aromas of ‘Cidre du Perche / Perche’ to develop.

Secondary fermentation in the bottle gives the cider a lively but not abundant effervescence and helps the aromas to develop.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-964fa31f-76f5-4816-ad72-ff8e3bcb255a

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.