Calvados

Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears.

History

In France

Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was made by squire Gilles de Gouberville in 1553, and the guild for cider distillation was created about 50 years later in 1606. In the 17th century, the traditional cider farms expanded, but taxation and prohibition of cider brandies were enforced elsewhere than Brittany, Maine, and Normandy. The area called "Calvados" was created after the French Revolution, but ''eau de vie de cidre'' was already called ''calvados'' in common usage.

In the 19th century, output increased with industrial distillation and the working class fashion for ''café-calva''. When a phylloxera outbreak in the last quarter of the 19th century devastated the vineyards of France and Europe, Calvados experienced a golden age. During World War I, cider brandy was requisitioned to make explosives for the armament industry due to its alcohol content. The ''appellation contrôlée'' regulations officially gave AOC Calvados Pays d'Auge a protected name in 1942. After the war, many cider houses and distilleries were reconstructed, mainly in the Pays d'Auge. Many of the traditional farmhouse structures were replaced by modern agriculture with high output. The calvados appellation system was revised in 1984 and 1996. Pommeau got its recognition in 1991; in 1997, an appellation for Domfront with 30% pears was created.

Elsewhere

Cider brandy is also made in the UK, and appears in records going back to 1678. Somerset cider brandy gained European protected geographical indication (PGI) status in 2011.

Production

Calvados is distilled from cider made from specially grown and selected apples, from over 200 named varieties. It is not uncommon for a calvados producer to use over 100 specific varieties of apples which are either sweet (such as the 'Rouge Duret' variety), tart (such as the 'Rambault' variety), or bitter (such as the 'Mettais', 'Saint Martin', 'Frequin', and 'Binet Rouge' varieties), the latter being inedible.

The fruit is harvested and pressed into a juice that is fermented into a dry cider. It is then distilled into ''eau de vie''. After two or three years of aging in oak casks, it can be sold as calvados. The longer it is aged, the smoother the drink becomes. Usually, the maturation goes on for several years.

Double and single distillation

The appellation of AOC (''appellation d'origine contrôlée'') for calvados authorizes double distillation for all calvados, but it is required for the ''Calvados Pays d'Auge''.

* Double distillation is carried out in a traditional alembic pot still, called either ''l'alambic à repasse'' or ''charentais''
* Single continuous distillation in a column still

The usual arguments for and against the two processes are that the former process gives the spirit complexity and renders it suitable for longer aging, whilst the latter process gives the calvados a fresh and clean apple flavour but with less complexity. A growing belief indicates that a well-operated column still can produce as complex and "age-able" calvados as double distillation.

Producing regions and legal definitions

Like many French wines, calvados is governed by ''appellation contrôlée'' regulations. The three appellations for calvados are:

* The AOC calvados area includes all of the Calvados, Manche, and Orne

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