Cider | Michel Jodoin

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Michel Jodoin was one of CSL’s later stops on our tour around Monteregie and the Eastern townships of Quebec. We were taken for a tour of the facility as well as a cider tasting (one of many that dat. Note: don’t try this at home). We were amazed at the difference between the mild ciders, which can be consumed on a daily basis, or much like a wine. The last ciders we tasted had the full robust fullness (that almost knocked us out), of a brandy or even scotch.

Here is a list of some of the ciders that available (from Mild ciders to Spirits) at Michel Jodoin:

MILD CIDERS:

1. Blanc de Pepin leger: 6.4% alcohol; fresh and fruity with a dominant apple fragrance. Great with mild cheese and crepes

2. Coeur a tout: 6.4% alcohol; the sparkling version of blanc de pepin leger; great with grilled vegetable pasta.

HARD CIDERS:

1. Cuvee blanc de pepin: 12% alcohol; woodsy and spicy aroma with full body; great with game and strong cheese.

SPARKLING CIDERS:

1. Cidre leger rose mousseux; 7% alcohol; made with geneva red apples, which much like a rose champagne is stained from the red skin of this apple variety; great with pates.

ICE CIDERS:

1. Michel Jodoin; 9% alcohol; delicately sweet with a good balance of acidity and carmael notes; great with foie gras, or desserts

SPIRITS;

1. Calijo; 40% alcohol; Distills in oak barrels for a few years, with hints of vanilla, and toasted caramel; great as a digestif

HISTORY:

“Michel Jodoin is a descendant of a long line of apple growers. In 1901, the family patriarch, Jean-Baptiste Jodoin, bought an orchard of some 100 apple trees at a Sunday auction on the front steps of the local church. His son, Ernest Jodoin, inherited the family orchard in 1937 and during his lifetime acquired more land, which he later sold to his sons. With thirteen children, Ernest ensured the continuation of the family line. Sixteen years later, Jean Jodoin bought part of the orchard and in 1980 he gave a section of it to his son Michel.

At first, Michel Jodoin sold apples on the market, but little by little moved towards transforming his crop into cider. In 1988, he was one of the first to obtain a cider-making license issued by Quebec. During the first six months, however, he sold only 150 bottles. Since the 1970s, the reputation of cider had declined in Quebec; its image had to be repositioned and cider had to regain its popularity with the public. Undaunted, Michel Jodoin succeeded in gaining media attention and attracting tourists to his site. Public reaction was conclusive.

The next year, production climbed to 5000 bottles and then exploded off the chart. In 2004, over 100,000 bottles were produced, making Michel Jodoin one of the largest producers of cider in Quebec.

First introduced to cider-making by his father and grand-father — who like so many other apple-growers were making cider on the sly before cider production was legalized — Michel Jodoin perfected his skills in Brittany, Normandy and at Épernay in the Champagne region.

In 1999, he obtained a distillery license which allowed him to make three unique apple spirits. The cider mill became the first microdistillery in Canada and a must-see destination when touring Quebec cider mills. ”