EN Official Journal of the European Union C 39/33

Publication of an application 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

(2018/C 39/10)

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).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’

EU No: PDO-FR-02206 — 21.11.2016

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name(s)

‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’

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 the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ is an unpasteurised, ungasified sparkling cider made from the pure juice of cider apples of specific traditional varieties.

‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ is distinguished by its colour, which falls between straw yellow and orange yellow, and its fine sparkle. To the nose, it has subtle aromas where you can often find notes of butter and dried grass. It has a good balance in the mouth, with dominant bitter tastes. Its discreet acidity adds freshness to this bitterness.

In ‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’‘extra brut’, the tannic structure and dominance of the bitter tastes are more marked.

‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ has the following characteristics:

— an actual alcoholic strength by volume of more than 3,5 % vol.,

— a total alcoholic strength by volume of more than 5,5 % vol.,

— a sugar content of more than 18 grams per litre and less than or equal to 35 grams per litre,

— a density of more than 1 009 and less than or equal to 1 017,5 at 20 °C,

— a minimum pressure of 1 bar at 20 °C or 2 g/l of CO2.

‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ supplemented by the words ‘extra-brut’ has the following characteristics:

— an actual alcoholic strength by volume of more than 5 % vol.,

— a total alcoholic strength by volume of more than 5,5 % vol.,

— a sugar content of less than or equal to 18 grams per litre,

— a density of less than or equal to 1 009 at 20 °C,

— a minimum pressure of 1 bar at 20 °C or 2 g/l of CO2.

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

The cider apples used come from orchards located in the geographical area and identified as suitable for producing ‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ on the basis of identification criteria related to the location approved for the designation.

These wooded orchards are entirely under grass and at least 30 % of the trees are trained into high stems.

The apples belong to a positive list of traditional varieties, the vast majority of which are bitter or bittersweet.

The principal varieties in the orchards, covering at least 60 % of the area, are the following:

Bitter and bittersweet : Belle fille de la Manche, Binet Rouge, Bois Jingant, Cartigny, Closette, Feuillard, Gros amer, Marin Onfroy, Peau de Chien, Petit amer, Rouge de Cantepie, Sans Pareille, Tapin, Tête de Brebis, Taureau.

The secondary varieties in the orchards, covering not more than 40 % of the area, are the following:

Bitter and bittersweet : Argile rouge, Bedan, Doux moine, Fréquin, Kermerrien, Marie-Ménard, Sergent.

Sweet : Clos Renaux, Douce Coët, Doux Lozon.

Acidic : Petit Jaune, Grasselande, Gros jaune.

Unlisted cider apple tree varieties trained into high stems are authorised, provided that they do not cover more than 20 % of the entire area of the orchards.

At least 60 % of each batch, or cuvée, must be made up of the principal varieties.

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

All the operations, from the production of the apples to the secondary fermentation of the cider exclusively in the bottle, are carried out in the geographical area defined in point 4.

Bottling is done in the geographical area. Secondary fermentation takes place exclusively in the bottle by fermenting part of the residual sugar and lasts at least 8 weeks, after which the cider may be marketed.

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

Ciders claiming the designation of origin ‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ may not be declared after production, offered for sale to the public, shipped, put on sale or sold unless the aforementioned designation along with the European Union PDO logo are printed on declarations, in advertisements and on any leaflets, labels, invoices and containers. The logo may be supplemented by ‘AOP’ or ‘appellation d’origine protégée’.

The name of the protected designation of origin and the words ‘Appellation d’origine’ or ‘Appellation’ and ‘protégée’ must be indicated in conspicuous, clearly legible and indelible characters large enough to be clearly distinguishable from all other written or graphic information.

On the label, the words ‘appellation d’origine protégée’ must be placed immediately below the name of the protected designation of origin, with no words in between.

The words ‘extra brut’ must be added for ciders having a sugar content of less than or equal to 18 grams per litre.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

In the departement of la Manche:

All of the cantons of Agon-Coutainville, Bricquebec, Cherbourg-Octeville 1, Cherbourg-Octeville 2, Cherbourg-Octeville 3, Créances, Equeurdreville-Hainneville, La Hague, Les Pieux, Saint-Lô, Saint-Lô 1, Tourlaville, Valognes and Val-de-Saire.

The canton of Carentan, with the exception of the municipalities of Catz and Carentan les Marais for the territory of the delegated municipalities of Brévands, Saint-Pellerin and Les Veys.

In the canton of Condé-sur-Vire: the municipalities of Condé-Sur-Vire, Moyon Villages for the territory of the delegated municipality of Mesnil-Opac, and Thorigny-les-villes for the territory of the delegated municipality of Brectouville. The canton of Coutances, with the exception of the municipalities of Orval-sur-Sienne and Regnéville-sur-Mer.

The canton of Saint-Lô 2, with the exception of the municipalities of La Barre-de-Semilly, La Luzerne and Soulles.

In the canton of Pont-Hébert: the municipalities of Amigny, Cavigny, Le Dézert, Graignes-Mesnil-Angot, Le Hommet-d’Arthenay, La Meauffe, Le Mesnil-Rouxelin, Le Mesnil-Véneron, Pont-Hébert, Rampan, Remilly les Marais, Saint-Georges-Montcocq and Tribehou.

In the canton of Quettreville-sur-Sienne: the municipalities of Belval, Cametours, Cerisy-la-Salle, Montpinchon, Ouville and Savigny.

5. Link with the geographical area

Specificity of the geographical area

Description of the natural factors relevant to the link

The geographical area comprises the northern half of the department of La Manche. Most of the territory belongs to the Armorican Massif (slaty and sandy sediments, granite from the Palaeozoic Era), with the exception of a small north-eastern strip, where it is covered by chalk formations belonging to the Paris basin. The entire area has a relatively thick loamy surface. This area corresponds closely to the Cotentin peninsula.

The landscape of the region consists of low undulating plateaus with very gentle hills whose altitude does not exceed 170 metres. Visibility is limited everywhere by the fairly dense network of hedgerows.

The parcels selected for planting the orchards and harvesting the apples are located in areas of hedgerows and form small islets bordered by natural copses. The soils are diverse, deep and well-drained but never sandy or sandy-stony.

The Cotentin enjoys a distinctly oceanic climate, further accentuated by the peninsular nature of the territory. This climate is characterised by precipitation that is frequent (more than 150 days/year) and quite abundant (900 to 1 000 mm on average), by a narrow range of temperatures that rarely dip below freezing and by frequent, occasionally violent, winds mostly from the west.

Description of the human factors relevant to the link

With the arrival by sea of tannic varieties from north-western Spain, the Cotentin became known for its cider orchards from the 13th century onwards. Cider developed in the area as successive regulations prohibited first beer, then wine, in order to reserve as much of the arable land as possible for cereals. It is in this context that the practice of meadow orchards was introduced. Meadows intended for the feeding of herds were given a second use by harvesting the fruit of the apple trees planted there. With this double use, the parcels are enclosed by hedges that provide a place for keeping the animals and sheltering them, and the trees, from wind.

Cider-making developed and improved gradually. Cider production became a science in the Cotentin in the 16th century with men like Guillaume Dursus or Sire de Gouberville Le premier, who selected apple varieties to create renowned ciders. By processing the fruit variety by variety, Sire de Gouberville set apart the most excellent-quality fruit, a few varieties of which still exist today, such as the Marin Onfroy.

More recently, alongside traditional meadow orchards trained into high stems, specialised orchards trained into low stems have been established, and they are likewise wooded and under grass.

The local and specific varieties of the geographical area, the great majority of which are bitter and bittersweet and rich in phenolic compounds, such as the Petite amer, Taureau or Cartigny, are well represented throughout the geographical area and in the different types of orchards.

The present cider-making practices reflect the creation and transmission of know-how related to the making of ‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ from local varieties, through natural secondary fermentation in the bottle and the banning of pasteurisation.

Specificity of the product

‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ is an unpasteurised, ungasified cider made from the pure juice of cider apples. It is characterised by its straw yellow to orange yellow colour and fine sparkle. In the mouth, its discreet acidity provides a fine balance and allows room for bitterness that has much freshness. When ‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ is supplemented by the words ‘extra brut’, the tannic structure and dominance of the bitter tastes are more marked.

Causal link

The geographical area is distinguished by its highly oceanic climate and the coexistence of livestock farming and apple production. Selecting parcels with a deep soil that are sheltered by hedges helps the apple trees adapt to the windy conditions, thereby preventing the fruit from falling before it is completely ripe and limiting the risk of trees being uprooted. In addition, keeping the orchards permanently under grass affects the composition of the apples (sugar content, limited nitrogen content), making them well suited to cider production.

The quality of the harvests is enhanced by the grass surface, which cushions the fall of the apples and ensures they keep well on the ground.

The bitter quality of the cider is obtained through various ways of combining bitter and bittersweet varieties, which are dominant in the orchards and mostly result from centuries of local selection, while the low acidity of the product in the mouth is explained by the moderate presence of acidic varieties in the geographical area. The continuous application of traditional processing methods, which require the use of indigenous yeasts naturally present on the surface of the fruit for the first fermentation and exclude all gasification and pasteurisation, gives ‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ a bitter freshness.

‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ has an age-old reputation. In the 16th century Julien le Paulmier, a physician, wrote the following in his illustrious medical treatise ‘de vino et pomaco’: ‘The ciders produced in Cotentin are the best ciders in the province of Normandy’.

This is confirmed by the first prizes won by producers from Quibou, Valognes, Turqueville, Dangy, Saint-Lô and Saussey at competitions organised by the Association pomologique Française during its annual pomological congresses from the end of the 19th century to the 1930s.

Nowadays the local fondness for ‘Cidre Cotentin’/‘Cotentin’ is clear from the many competitions and various municipal festivals held in its honour. This product has also been noted by big names in French and international gastronomy, such as l’Etoile, the Michelin Guide magazine, which awarded the cider a ‘Coup de coeur’ in its June-July 2006 issue. More recently, in 2011, all ciders produced in Cotentin were praised in the prestigious American food and drink magazine The Art of Eating.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-50b2dc68-9cbe-48a6-93c9-3d8befac98d0/telechargement

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