Maison Kalder
– Normandy, France
Cider and perry don’t usually get spoken about in the same breath as natural wine. But taste what Maison Kalder is making in northern Mayenne, and you’ll understand why they’re at NWFA.
Founded in 2021 by oenologist Alexandre Sidorenko and joined by Judith J. Sciarone in 2023, Maison Kalder works with 11 hectares of high-stem orchards on east-facing schist slopes at 200m altitude. About 1,000 trees total: 700 apple, 300 pear. These aren’t modern dwarf orchards you can harvest with machines. Trees are spaced 10-12 meters apart in a traditional “pré-verger” system, an orchard-pasture, where cattle and sheep graze year-round. The spacing promotes biodiversity, light, air circulation, and makes mechanization nearly impossible. Which is the point.
The fruit varieties are ancestral and late-ripening. For perry: Plant de Blanc, Fossey, de Cloche. For cider: over 30 apple varieties. Everything is Demeter-certified biodynamic and farmed organically. The orchard lies within IGP Normandie for cider and AOP Domfront for perry.
Harvest is late: November and December. Pears mature naturally on grass for 10 days to a month. Apples rest in ventilated crates for 2-6 weeks before pressing. Pressing happens on a traditional Norman vertical press, the “pressoir à paquets.” Fermentation is purely natural: no added yeasts, no added sulfur, no filtration, no fining. Racking follows the lunar calendar. Bottling by gravity in spring.
The result? Ciders and perries with fruit-driven character but wine-like texture. Finely bubbled, structured, complex. Reminiscent of natural sparkling wines or grower Champagne.
Their Léna is an extra-brut perry from Domfrontais pears. Their L’Extra Brut is a gastronomic cider from late-December apples (Noël des Champs, Damelot, Moulin à Vent): brilliant orange tones, citrus zest, bitter-fine structure.
Judith Sciarone is leading a masterclass on high-stem orchards, natural fermentation, and how cider and perry express terroir just like wine. You’ll taste Maison Kalder’s cuvées and hear stories from the orchard. One hour. Limited to 20 participants.
This is cider for people who care about how things are made.
