Wignac Organic Ciders from le Grande Est region of France

Produced in northeast France near the Belgian border, in a region called Le Grand Est, Wignac (pronounced VEE-nyack) Ciders are 100% organic ciders made from table apples, cider apples and juice from wine grapes from Burgundy. The ciders have no added sugar, no added sulfites, and are naturally gluten-free.

The Wignac estate was established in 2016, when Edouard and Eliane de Merode, a brother and sister, started producing Wignac cider in the Ardennes. Many Americans remember the Ardennes as the region where major battles of WWI and WWII took place. Edouard and Eliane want to show that the Ardennes can also be known for something beautiful too - its cider.

Located near the famous terroir of the Champagne region, Edouard and Eliane seek to reinvent and rejuvenate the image of cider and the region while maintaining the traditional making of cider on the Wignac estate. Both Edouard and Eliane grew up in the countryside surrounded by the nature, so it was only natural to have their estate certified organic. And before their orchards were planted, the estate already boasted organic Angus cows.

Wignac was the name of Edouard and Eliane’s great-great grandmother, la Marquise de Wignac, from whom Edouard and Eliane inherited the Domaine du Château de Guignicourt sur Vence (Ardennes – France) The château was built in 1710 by the Wignacourt family and it has been in the family ever since – despite being seized during the French Revolution. It was eventually given back to the family by Napolean I in the early 1800’s.

Wignac ciders are unique and unlike traditional French ciders. ‘Le Lièvre” is a mix of cider apples and table apples. “Le Goupil” is a rosé cider made of cider and table apples to which juice from wine grapes from Burgundy has been added. Le Lièvre offers aromas and flavors of a fresh apple, picked directly from the tree. Le Goupil offers delicate aromas and flavors of apples, with a hint of sweetness from the juice from wine grapes.