2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Calvados (Calvados) is an apple brandy that is obtained by distilling cider. It is traditionally produced in the French region of Basse-Normandie. The fact that calvados is produced there has a very logical explanation - Normandy is known for over 150 varieties of apples that grow there. However, connoisseurs are adamant that the rise of calvados is predictable and it would inevitably conquer people from all over the world.
What distinguishes calvados from wine brandy is the strong vanilla accent and the taste of fresh apple. Calvados is characterized by very interesting and elegant notes of nuts, red fruits or honey, depending on its type and age. In all high-quality distillates, including calvados, there are 3, 10, 12 and 20-year-old calvados.
As a number of French products with unique traditions in production, so with calvados the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée rules apply. In 1997, three strictly controlled areas (appeals) were identified for the production of calvados. These are AOC calvados, Calvadso Domfrontais, Calvados Pays d’Auge. The production of calvados takes place in several French regions, and a total of 1572 settlements have the right to sell apple brandy, which has the name calvados.
Calvados Pays d’Auge - there are 2500 registered producers in this appeal. It is typical for this region that only apples are used for the production of calvados, and the cider must be fermented for at least half a year. Here, calvados is usually obtained by double distillation, which gives a softer alcohol suitable for longer aging.
AOC calvados - this is the largest appeal, in which 6000 producers are registered, of which 400 are large. Here is characterized by the lack of strict rules, the result of which are drinks with a great variety of quality and style. The calvados in this appeal is made by a single distillation.
Calvados Domfrontais - 1500 producers are registered in the appeal, 5 of which are bigger. Apples and pears are used for the production of calvados, as the pear alcohol is at least 30%, and in practice the drink can contain up to 50% pear distillate.
History of Calvados
The origin of the name calvados is very interesting. In the distant 1588, King Felipe II of Spain decided to conquer the English and sent to the island the so-called The invincible armada. One of the ships, called El Calvador, was shipwrecked off the French coast.
The locals began to call the province Calvados after the ship, and in 1790 the French state officially recorded the area with that name. Apple brandy has traditionally been produced in this area and logically it also adopted the name of the province. Charlemagne, on the other hand, published a manual setting out detailed instructions for growing apple trees and extracting juice from their fruits. During the reign of Henry IV of Navarre, workers who distilled apple juice brandies also set up their own corporation.
Production of calvados
Calvados growers use only small apples, which boast a very strong and intense aroma. Unlike wine, which is made only from certain varieties of grapes, calvados requires careful selection of different varieties of apples.
Calvados is produced by mixing different alcohols, and proper mixing makes it possible to maintain the same taste for many years, regardless of the annual changes in the quality of apples and pears. To achieve this effect, each grower usually grows between 20 and 40 different varieties of apples.
Depending on the content of sugars and tannins, apples are divided into four categories: sweet, bitter, bitter-sweet and sour. In the production of calvados are usually used 10% bitter varieties, 20% sour and 70% bitter-sweet.
The categorization of pears is comparable to that of apples. Different varieties of apples are harvested in early autumn. Once harvested, they are left outdoors for some time to fully mature. They are then processed in distilleries, where they are passed in an apple press, and the resulting mixture is filtered to obtain a thick extract, which is left to ferment for several weeks to several months.
Sugar is added to the extract, which turns it into alcohol. This is how the cider is distilled. The alcohol from the cider is extracted after boiling the wine in a copper cauldron, from which the concentrated alcohol is evaporated in specially adapted facilities and then cooled.
Only 1 liter is obtained from 22 liters of fruit liquid calvados. After the distillation itself, the drink still has no color. It turns into the desired calvados after aging in oak barrels located in dark cellars for a certain period of time and at a certain temperature. The barrels are filled with distillate to about 60-70% of their total volume.
As calvados matures, its color gradually changes from golden to amber. The secret of this famous drink lies in the sophisticated blending of aged distillates.
The masters in the specialized cellars produce calvados in a strictly defined way, mixing pear and apple brandies from different vintages and years. The very way of mixing the finished calvados is logically kept a complete secret, which is passed down from generation to generation in each company.
Depending on the recipe itself, calvados has an alcohol content of between 30 and 50%, most often around 40%. Ready-to-eat calvados is characterized by the taste of fresh apple, strong vanilla flavor, as well as pleasant notes of red fruits, nuts or honey.
Types of calvados
People can find out about the age and quality of calvados according to the indications on the labels on the bottles. The aging period indicated on the label means that each alcohol in the calvados composition has a aging period that is not less than that indicated.
Several designations are recognized: Fine, Trois etoiles, Trois pommes - calvados, aged in barrels for at least 2 years; Vieux and Reserve - matured for at least 3 years; V. O. Vieille Reserve, VSOP - matured for at least 4 years; Extra, X. O. Napoleon, Age Inconnu, Hors d'Age, - at least 6 years; Age 12 ans, 15 ans - means that he has matured for at least 12 or 15 years. When the label indicates 1946, 1973 or another year - these are calvados produced from a certain annual harvest.
Serving calvados
Calvados is a drink that is drunk pure, without any natural juices or water. It does not need to be further cooled and is usually served after a meal. Connoisseurs determine its taste between that of brandy and brandy. Calvados is also an ingredient in a number of cocktails.
Among the most successful drinks in which he takes part are Calvapirinya - apple juice, calvados and lime; Bocage - calvados, orange syrup, apricot liqueur and pomegranate syrup; Normandy - lemon juice, raspberry juice and calvados. For them, bartenders must use 3-year-old calvados.
