By Sophie Ginoux
Very close to the country village of Franklin, nestled between fields, hills and wooded areas, we come across many orchards. Among them, Entre Pierre & Terre is well known for its ciders and agricultural spirits that are anything but ordinary. Let’s visit this estate where traditions are preserved, but without fear of innovation.
Our destination today: the interior landscapes of the beautiful Montérégie region. Known by outdoor enthusiasts and lovers of farmstead products, the small roads criss‑crossing the Montérégie-West region abound in country delights. On our way to Franklin, located just a stone’s throw from the American border, we find ourselves immersed in the soothing ambiance of the countryside, occasionally punctuated by pleasant urban settings as we go through the charming villages of Saint‑Rémi and Saint‑Chrysostome. Then, as we pass along a row of orchards and maple groves, we arrive at Entre Pierre & Terre, whose name pays tribute to the plains and hills surrounding us, but also, as we will quickly learn, reflects the concern for respecting the land without altering it through the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
But why are we visiting this orchard in particular? Because it produces ciders and spirits that are both original and accessible to all palates. Macerated or kegged ciders, perries, lemon‑basil gin, vermouth, brandy, crème de pommes. There’s plenty to pique our curiosity and stimulate our taste buds.
A space for exploration
Entre Pierre & Terre does not offer a U‑pick option, but we still come across pickers who have come to help the owners harvest the apples, pears and small hardy kiwis that will be used to make various products. Loïc Chanut, who co‑owns the enchanting property with his spouse Michelle Boyer, welcomes us and gives us a tour of the orchards. Of French origin and a wine expert like his father, he has had a relationship with the land since his early childhood. He worked in the vineyard with his father, and later for other grape growers and cider producers with whom he developed, among other creations, pear ice wine.
But it was a project that interested both members of their couple that brought him to Franklin. “Michelle and I wanted to have our own space, first so that I could work on the weekends, as I hate being inactive,” he says. By luck or by coincidence, he and his spouse found the current estate where, in the beginning, there was a small orchard and some pastures. They immediately fell in love with the place where everything seemed possible, and they chose to do what they knew best: alcohol production.
The fruits of their labour
“We began with the principle that to produce alcohol, we needed to begin at the beginning and produce our own fruits,” says Loïc. The wine expert decided to concentrate primarily on the production and fermentation of apples and pears. However, these fruits that are relatively common in appearance took on very distinctive names and looks at Entre Pierre & Terre. “I asked a nursery operator to find specific ancestral fruit varieties,” explains the owner. “Many of them are rare and cannot be found elsewhere. We even developed one so that the fruit can be gathered in its overripe state once it has fallen on the ground. It’s wonderful! What interests me are fruits at the end of the season, when they are too acidic and simply inedible.”
Thanks to these varieties with their particular flavours, but also their interesting environmental characteristics, since they are naturally resistant to disease and insects, Loïc Chanut produces small vintages of cider and perry combining traditional know‑how with techniques and unions that are surprising. The maceration of apples with red wine or orange skins for the Piquette line; cider aged in pear‑ice‑wine or whisky barrels for the Cidre bouché line; or a mixture with beer brewers’ grains and berries for the Péteux line … We can see that the owner enjoys playing around with conventions. “But whatever we can’t do justice to, we simply don’t do it,” he specifies.
From cider to spirits
It just needed one step to propel this exploration to the next level. And that step was taken two years ago when the owners of Entre Pierre & Terre acquired a German still that is perfect for producing schnapps, those clear spirits that are popular on the other side of the Atlantic. For the wine expert, this step represented both a big challenge and a way to better refine his creations.
To meet the needs of a Québec market that has become very fond of gin and, more generally, forms of alcohol that can be used in cocktails, Loïc Chanut created products like his Gin du verger. However, he admits to having a slight weakness for working with pears and what he considers his signature product, a unique pear liquor made from the fruit. “The pear distillate mixed with pure juice and aged for a few months before being bottled produces a magnificent spirit,” he says proudly.
Given the many Québec spirits increasingly available on the market, how does Entre Pierre & Terre manage to stand out from its competitors? While the wine expert does not feel that local products play a big part, he nevertheless believes that three key elements come together at his estate: raw materials (the fruit) coming entirely from his land; water taken from a local underground source; and high‑quality Québec ingredients such as wild herbs from the Gaspésie region and flavours from Épices de cru.
Living from his art
In the estate’s small store, open Friday to Sunday or by appointment, the vintages concocted by Loïc Chanut have won over the hearts—and palates—of the visitors. “People are now very open to discovering the universe of natural spirits and sparkling wines. They want to learn about all the great products coming out of Québec’s regions, and it’s rare that they leave here without buying something,” says the operator, who no longer has to contend with stress associated with debts. “There’s nothing more satisfying than to work at and earn a living from your art. What does tomorrow hold? I have no idea. I live one day at a time. As Nicolas Hulot said, I’m optimistic by nature and pessimistic by reason. And, of course, right now I’m taking full advantage of this wave of love for our products, and I’m continuing to discover and try things. And I have faith in the future.”
In collaboration with Bonjour Québec and Tour du Québec.