Where to get French Cider?

comongethappy · 24-02-2008 12:01am #1

The hubby and I were in France last year and abosolutely fell in love with the French Cider, especially the brut (dry) versions. Is there anywhere here in Ireland that stocks French Ciders? I've tried local off licenses but no luck.

F-Stop · 24-02-2008 12:12am

Used to be able to get delicious Normandy style cider in the Farmer's market near Powerscourt waterfall, but unfortunately it's not running anymore (the market, not the waterfall). If I recall correctly, the cider came from an orchard in Lusk. You sometimes see bottles of Normandy or Brittany cider in Dunnes, but it's usually the Doux and more like the homogenised Irish crap like Bulmers than the delicious cloudy apple tasting stuff. The Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson st, do speciality drinks besides from whiskies and might very well import good Cider (you won't get it for the 2 euro you get it in France for, but might be worth a shot). Please update and let us know if you have any luck with this. Good Luck!

On review, my post makes it sound like the people from the orchard in lusk were producing the cider. That probably isn't the case. The person who was selling the apple juice from Lusk was also selling cider at the farmer's market.

oblivious · 24-02-2008 12:24pm

Redmonds of Ranelagh have some

White Horse · 25-02-2008 9:15am

F-Stop wrote: »

Used to be able to get delicious Normandy style cider in the Farmer's market near Powerscourt waterfall, but unfortunately it's not running anymore (the market, not the waterfall). If I recall correctly, the cider came from an orchard in Lusk.

The person who was selling the apple juice from Lusk was also selling cider at the farmer's market.

The bureaucrats in the Revenue put paid to fresh cider being sold by farmers. They want us to buy the industrial stuff in the supermarkets:

A customs officer has denied he was "selective" in laws he enforced when investigating the case of a north county businessman charged with failing to pay tax on cider he produced and sold in farmers' markets.

David Llewellyn, who runs the Fruit of the Vine farm on Quickpenny Road, Lusk, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of evading excise duty on cider produced by him.

Customs and Excise official Paul Garland gave evidence that he first visited Mr Llewellyn's farm in November 2002 after been informed that his cider was on sale in the Temple Bar Farmers Market.

Mr Garland told defence counsel, Tony McGillicuddy BL, that the accused said he had not been paying excise on the alcohol and that he did not have the relevant license from the revenue office to produce cider.

Mr Garland denied that Mr Llewellyn was exempt from obtaining a license under tax regulation in the 1940 Cider Duty Act which states that someone who farms for a living does not have to pay excise on cider providing it is sold on a regular basis.

Mr McGillicuddy replied "so you can pick and choose which laws you enforce?" after Mr Garland said he believed the 1940 Cider Duty Act regulation had been revoked and that he was more concerned with recent legislation when dealing with Mr Llewellyn's case.

Mr Garland said that Finance Acts passed in 2001 and 2004 were more relevant and also that the 1940 legislation dealt with the licensing of cider and not with the payment of excise duty and was therefore not applicable to the case.

"The 1940 act refers to a license. Mr Llewellyn is not here because of a license," Mr Garland said.

Earlier, Mr Garland told prosecution counsel, Mr Dominic McGinn BL, that the decision was made to raid Mr Llewellyn's farm after his cider was seen on sale again in the Temple Bar Market in 2004 and it was discovered he had failed to start paying excise duty.

He said the operation took place early in the morning in September 2004 when they stopped the accused as he left his farm with a delivery of cider and apple juice for farmers' markets in Dublin.

They found ten tanks containing 1,000 litres each of what he believed was fermenting cider as well as "a substantial quantity of bottles labelled cider". There were two different sizes of bottles.

When asked by Mr McGinn how many bottles of cider he estimated was on the farm he replied: "Certainly over 4,000 of each type, I believe."

Mr Garland said the accused told him he had been looking into getting a exemption from paying excise duty and that he had had discussions to this effect with the then Minister for State at the Department of the Environment, Mr Batt O'Keefe, at a small business forum.

The trial continues before Judge Frank O'Donnell with a jury of six men and six women.

http://breaking.tcm.ie/ireland/mhmhqlkfauoj/

oblivious · 25-02-2008 9:21am

Its a pity I really liked Mr. Llewellyn's cider, the English have a much better system of allow local cider to be sold with exceptions to help stimulate local economies.

BeerNut · 25-02-2008 9:25am

You can still buy cider by the case from David. You need to arrange it with him in advance, so the "sale" doesn't actually take place at the market where you pick the stuff up.