The region of Brittany, in northwestern France, has long been renowned for its cider. The name Brittany (Bretagne) was used by Celts who came from Great Britain and resettled in the area. Thus the distinction we see between “Great Britain” and la Bretagne, “Brittany”. The dramatic coastline of Brittany is lined with jagged granite cliffs. Inland from the coast the landscape softens to gentle rolling hills and fertile soil. This, combined with the cool maritime climate, and abundant rain, makes Brittany an ideal place to cultivate apples. The earliest traces of cider production in the region date back to the Romans. However, cider as we know it didn’t become a staple until the middle ages. Early in life Hervé Seznec already knew his calling─ to produce great cider. At the age of 19 he replanted his 30 hectares (74 acres) of orchards with nearly 25 varieties of apples. He had an intense desire to make naturally sparkling, high quality cider, from his own orchards. Hervé’s passion to improve and innovate, is abundantly evident in his cider. All the work at Manoir du Kinkiz is done with the utmost respect for nature. They use no herbicides in their orchards, and they allow indigenous plants and grass to grow between the trees. From the ladybugs that rid their orchards of insects, to the almost mystical darkness of the cellars where their AOP Cornouaille cider is aged in huge oak casks, Kinkiz is making a genuine attempt to return to the hands-on, artisan production methods of their ancestors.