Occasionally, it can also be made from pear cider or perry as well. There are 7, hectares of apple and pear orchards that are used for producing calvados. Although most of them are in the Calvados department, they can also be found in neighbouring areas like Manche, Orne, Eure, Mayenne, Sarthe, and Eure-et-Loir.
Calvados has a number of appellations that indicate the geographic zones and techniques used to make it. Meanwhile, the other appellations allow for the use of a continuous column still instead.
After the cider has been distilled into an eau-de-vie, it must be aged for at least 2 years before it can be recognised as calvados. In the case of the Domfrontais appellation that specialises in using pears, it requires an additional year. Afterwards, the calvados can be released as a blend of many batches and apple varieties of different ages. The date of its creation in is often cited as the 28th March when Gilles Picot, Lord de Gouberville, had written about its distillation after the arrival of new apple varieties from the southern Basque country.
Interestingly, its etymology is the subject of debate. Locals claim that the name is a corruption of San Salvador, a Spanish armada ship that crashed on the shoreline in Interestingly, the United Kingdom also has a proud history of producing cider brandy that can be traced back to as early as Normandy was celebrated from its cider but calvados was typically regarded as brandy for the working class and rural provinces.
However, as it was unaffected by the lateth-century phylloxera outbreak that devastated vineyards throughout France, it was quickly recognised as a viable alternative to other brandy. Domaine Dupont. Calvados was requisitioned by the government early into the First World War as it was closer to the front lines than other beverages of similar alcoholic content.
However, the alcohol was not used to produce explosives, petrol, or for medicinal purposes with the exception of sedating soldiers during operations. Instead, troops were supplied a daily eau-de-vie ration of 6. During the Second World War, calvados was recognised with an appellation in , which ensured its protection during the Nazi Occupation.
North American troops took a taste to the brandy and some even received it as gifts from locals for their liberation efforts. It is often used as a toast to remember fallen comrades. After the war, some well-known farmhouses seized the opportunity to modernise and expand their facilities during reconstruction. Etienne Dupont. Calvados can offer surprisingly varying tastes. Firstly, there are over apple varieties and different types of pear that can be used to make calvados.
Additionally, it can be produced by single-distillation with a continuous column still or double-distillation with a Charentais copper pot still. Meanwhile, double-distillation will strip the rich flavours away in exchange for greater complexity. An interesting example to demonstrate the differences between single and double distillation can be found when comparing cognac and Armagnac.
The Charentais copper still is a cognac invention. However, Armagnac producers tend to favour the continuous column still. Generally, younger calvados will be more expressive of the fruity characteristics and you will likely taste the apple or pear flavours.
The whole process including aging typically takes several years, with many factors influencing the quality of the final product, including soil, quality of fruit pressing and distillation methods.
The journey starts in the orchard — the apples are shaken off the trees or gathered from the ground sometime between early October and early December. After being stored for two or three weeks to let them mature, they are pressed. The raw apple juice — including the solid matter left by the pressing — is fermented for six months, with a fast fermentation followed by a slow one.
When all the sugar has turned to alcohol, the juice is distilled, usually twice. As with Cognac, aging ends the moment Calvados is bottled. The last category reflects the longstanding tradition of growing pears in the region, and is typically a fruity and tangy drink, rather than profound or complex.
But equally, this is just a guide to quality and the producer in question should always be your ultimate reference point. The best mature examples merge finesse and power with ease tantamount to promiscuity, while young Calvados is the ideal aperitif.
It also matches beautifully with Normandy cheeses such as a creamy Camembert. However, we prefer to enjoy its myriad of flavors — ripe apples, dried apricots, butterscotch, nuts, and chocolate — without any gastronomic interference.
Michelle Kocurek says: January 29, at pm. Des Mc Carthy says: January 30, at pm. Ben Lindfors says: March 30, at am. If you would like us to customize an exclusive, luxury tour for you, get in touch with us and let us know your travel plans. We offer luxury food and wine tours for private groups of minimum 2 guests. All of our private, chauffeured tours are available year round upon request. The 13 varieties listed above are those favoured by Dupont for producing its calvados. Additionally, much of the above varieties can also be used to produce Norman cider as well as Pommeau, which is made by combining calvados with unfermented apple pomace.
The brandy shares its name with its home department in the northern French region of Normandy, nestled in the Baie de Seine along the English Channel. The apple orchards cover just 7, hectares of this sprawling geographical area and are also shared by cider producers. For producers to be eligible for the appellation, they must abide by specific regulations in the varieties of apples and pears used as well as the production techniques.
Furthermore, calvados consists of several appellations, which are defined as the following terroirs:. Similarly, although calvados is often perceived as a particularly northern beverage, the appellation descends as far as parts of Eure-et-Loire , which is further south than Paris.
As a result, the appellation has an assortment of different soils with varying levels of chalk and marl. Similarly, the oceanic climate and mild temperatures can fluctuate between areas too, which allows for a diversity in the apple and pear yields.
Domaine Dupont. As well as being a more focused production zone, it is also more tightly regulated. Indeed, it follows the same basic regulations as AOC calvados as well as additional rules. For instance, you will learn below that most producers can interchangeably use either a continuous column or copper pot still. Any additional flavourings are extremely limited and the cider must have spent six weeks fermenting before it can be distilled into an eau-de-vie. An intriguing appellation that was only officially recognised in , Domfrontais focuses mainly on pears rather than apples.
With a heavier concentration of granite in the soil, Domfrontais is known for producing rich and flavoursome pears. Its overall production regulations are similar to AOC calvados and the eau-de-vie is usually extracted via single with a continuous column still.
However, there are additional rules. Dupont Calvados Orchard. Although calvados is made using either apples or pears, it shares a lot in common with other brandy like cognac and Armagnac. Firstly, calvados orchards come in two distinctive types.
The maximum yield is limited to an average 25 tonnes per hectare. Yields here are restricted to an average of 35 tonnes per hectare. Furthermore, the above quantities and distances apply to AOC calvados. Harvesting takes place between September and November and the fruit is usually picked by hand when it reaches full maturity.
Therefore, a single tree might be harvested several times. Similarly, apples of different varieties will reach maturity at different times of the year. Any damaged apples will be immediately discarded. Historically, apples were pressed using a large stone wheel that would roll through a circular channel.
However, most calvados producers prefer membrane presses used for winemaking, which ensures slow and uniform juice extraction with the skin at low pressure. Apple varieties are pressed, fermented, distilled, and aged separately. It is only once the eau-de-vie is ready to use that they are blended together. As the yeast turns sugar into alcohol, sweet cider may be slightly milder than that made from bitter varieties. Dupont Copper Pot Still.
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