Petit Frisson Ice Cider

For over a century, the Petit family has been harvesting apples. It was not until 1990 that the estate began producing ice cider. The Quebec climate is known for its long, cold and harsh winters. Located on the mountainside, the Petit et fils orchards benefit from the protection of Mont Saint-Hilaire , about 20 kilometers from Montreal . In fact, orchards are less exposed to violent weather which is damaging to crops. In addition, the steepness of the plantations allows better circulation of air masses, thus protecting the orchards from early or late frosts which can be devastating for the crops. The apples used by the Petit family to obtain ice cider are harvested late in order to obtain maximum ripeness from the fruit.

To obtain this sweet nectar, two methods are used:

- Cryo-extraction , which consists of letting the apples freeze on the trees. They are picked in winter, when the temperature fluctuates between -8°C and -15°C. The apples are then pressed while still frozen and the nectar is collected which will be fermented at low temperature.

- Cryoconcentration , which consists of harvesting the apples in the fall, then keeping them cool until the fruit is pressed in the winter. The juice is then stored in containers outside where temperatures are negative. Slowly, the water freezes and separates from the sugar, the must is harvested by gravity. Subsequently, this must will ferment in vats at low temperature for a period of six to seven months.

Once in the bottle, we have a bright golden juice. We can also guess the sweet aspect of the product by its smoothness. The nose reveals deep aromas of fresh apples . By letting it age for a few months in the bottle, slightly more complex aromas of roasted pineapple , apricot and salted caramel will develop. In the mouth, this nectar has a marked acidity balancing the sugar of the apple concentrated by the cold.

Viticulture in Canada is experiencing unprecedented growth. Since many Canadian winegrowers have uprooted their “hybrid” grape varieties and replaced them with “Vitis Vinifera”, they have been able to produce quality wines, including the famous ice wine. Two regions are particularly well known: The Okanagan Valley, in British Columbia, and the Niagara Peninsula, in Ontario. The most commonly used white grape varieties are Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Blanc. For reds: merlot, cabernet franc and pinot noir. Quebec is also known for its ice ciders but wine is also produced there mainly with hybrid grape varieties.