National Geographic Traveller (UK) - Food
ROAM LOMBARDY’S HILLS FOR ITALY’S FINEST FIZZ BREATHE IN THE ‘ANGEL’S SHARE’ ON THE CIDER ROUTE
Terraced into the hills that rise from Lake Iseo’s southeastern shores you’ll find one of the world’s most exclusive wine terroirs. It’s favoured holiday terrain for Lombardy locals who love both the uncrowded lidos of this lesser-known Italian lake and the chance to indulge in franciacorta, the country’s finest sparkling wine. A total of
110 vineyards sit within this bijou, 77sq mile DOGC (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) territory, whose vines thrive in the mineral-rich soil of the Alpine foothills. Grapes such as chardonnay, pinot bianco, pinot nero and the native erbamat ripen in the unique microclimate here before being made into wine using a traditional method in which secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. The luxurious end result has been dubbed the ‘cashmere’ of sparkling wine, with each harvest resulting in a subtly different flavour profile.
GETTING STARTED: The vineyards here are tightly clustered around 19 towns in the Brescia province. Bellavista, Ca’ del Bosco, Berlucchi and Ferghettina are the big names, while south of the lake tastings can be had at an array of smaller labels. franciacorta.net
DON’T MISS: Book a wine-pairing dinner at L’albereta (albereta.it), the region’s loveliest lake-view spa retreat.
Famed for its apple orchards, Normandy’s Pays d’auge region is a joy in spring, with a dazzling display of white blossoms, while autumn sees the countryside ablaze with reds and yellows. The first stop on this trip is cider house Le Ferme de Billy (ferme-de-billy.com), just outside Caen. Tuck into brunch at its cafe before wandering the estate and tasting the apple juices, ciders and calvados.
From there, head to Beauvron-en-auge, one of Normandy’s many achingly idyllic villages, home to a jumble of timber-framed buildings. Have coffee on the terrace at Café Forges, then carry on to Calvados Dupont, a family-run estate in nearby Victot-pontfol. Here, you’ll taste a range of apple brandies, as well as cider and pommeau, an aperitif that blends apple juice and calvados. Pont-l’évêque, half an hour east, is home to the eponymous cheese — which, along with camembert, livarot and neufchâtel, comprise Normandy’s four PDO (protected designation of origin) fromages. Buy them at the town’s Monday morning market or call into one of the many cheese farms nearby (see terredauge-tourisme.fr for a list). Nearby is Château du Breuil, a grand calvados distillery where you can take a tour that takes in the cellar, with its soaring, timbered ceiling, and breathe in the ‘angel’s share’ — the smell of the calvados that evaporates from the barrels and lingers in the air. In the tasting room, learn to tell the difference between different calvados vintages and between varieties aged in either port, sherry or whisky casks.
Another distillery worth visiting is Père Magloire, near Pont L’évêque, where L’experience — a multimedia, multisensory attraction — explains the origins of the spirit and its production methods. To truly embrace the culture and character of the region’s apples, however, time your visit to coincide with the Apple, Cider and Cheese Festival at Conches-en-ouche, in the south. This jolly event, at the end of October, takes place in a huge field surrounded by reddening trees and showcases dozens of Normandy’s producers, as well as its dishes, traditional costumes and dancing.
Meanwhile, if you prefer pears, there’s also La Route du Poiré, a trail that winds through orchards in Orne, in south Normandy.
GETTING STARTED: Start in Caen, where Brittany Ferries can deliver you and your car to the port just after breakfast, then head east, returning to Le Havre or Caen for the ferry home. If you’re hiring a car, a one-way trip from Caen to Paris is also an option. Many of these stops feature on the tourist board’s official cider route: en.normandie-tourisme.fr/the-cider-route
DON’T MISS: The calvados soufflé at L’étape Louis XIII restaurant (etapelouis13.fr) in Beaumesnil, near Conches-en-ouche.
GIVE IT A SHOT: A Normandy custom, the ‘trou normand’ involves a shot of calvados served between courses during a big meal. The idea is that the brandy aids digestion. Also look out for ice cider — made with apples left to freeze on the tree in winter.