Cidre de Glace

What is Cidre de Glace? Cidre de Glace is a Quebec specialty cider made from frozen apples or frozen apple juice through cryoconcentration or cryoextraction, producing an intensely sweet, aromatic drink with 7 to 13 percent ABV and a minimum of 130 grams of residual sugar per liter. The style was invented in 1989 by Christian Barthomeuf in Dunham, Quebec, who took inspiration from German Eiswein and applied the same logic to apples. In December 2014 the Quebec government granted Cidre de glace du Quebec an IGP (Protected Geographical Indication), making it one of the few legally protected cider appellations in the world. Served chilled in 375 ml or 200 ml bottles, it sits closer to a dessert wine than to a traditional table cider.

Origin and Appellation

The story begins in 1989, when Christian Barthomeuf created the first recipe in Dunham, Quebec. In 1994 he joined Francois Pouliot at La Face Cachee de la Pomme in Hemmingford to scale the technique into commercial production, and in 1999 La Cidrerie St-Nicolas released the first bottle officially sold as ice cider through the SAQ, Quebec's government liquor network.

Quebec introduced provincial production regulations in 2008 and secured IGP status for the category in December 2014. The rules are strict: no chaptalization, no added alcohol, no artificial or concentrated juices, and the freezing must happen through natural outdoor cold rather than mechanical refrigeration. Today roughly 50 to 60 producers operate in Quebec, with parallel styles made in Vermont, Ontario, Western Canada, and parts of Europe including England, though only the Quebec natural-freeze product carries the IGP.

How It Is Made

Two methods are permitted. Cryoconcentration, which accounts for around 95 percent of production, involves pressing the apples in autumn and leaving the juice outdoors for about six months. As the liquid freezes, water crystallises and separates from the concentrated sugar fraction, which is then drawn off and fermented. The pre-fermentation must has to reach a minimum of 30 degrees Brix.

Cryoextraction is the rarer route. Apples are left on the tree through winter and picked while frozen, between -15C and -8C. The yields are tiny: roughly 9.5 kg of apples are needed for one liter of finished ice cider, compared with about 1.7 kg per liter for ordinary cider, which translates to 50 to 100 apples per 375 ml bottle. Fermentation in both methods runs cold and slow, six to seven months for cryoconcentration and up to about eight months for cryoextraction. Common varieties include McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, and Spartan.

How It Is Served

Cidre de Glace is poured well chilled, typically as an aperitif or with dessert. The combination of high residual sugar, bright apple acidity, and modest alcohol makes it a natural partner for blue cheese, aged cheddar, and foie gras, where the sweetness balances salt and fat without overwhelming the dish.

The 375 ml half-bottle is the standard format, with 200 ml bottles increasingly common for tasting flights and gifting. Like a sweet wine, it can age in the bottle, deepening in color and developing notes of dried apple, caramel, and honey over several years.