What barrels are used for Calvados?

What barrels are used for Calvados?

Extensive quality control, the basic rules for AOC calvados together with several additional requirements, is practiced. Aging for a minimum of two years in oak barrels is required. Double distillation in an alembic pot-still is used. It must be produced within the designated area in Pays d'Auge.

Should Calvados be chilled?

Over the centuries, Calvados evolved into an after-dinner drink — a digestif enjoyed on its own (chilled or otherwise) – and now, mixed into a variety of craft cocktails. ... On its own, Calvados goes down smoothly at room temperature, but the apple taste in the foreground makes it surprisingly refreshing served chilled.

What is the difference between brandy and Calvados?

Brandy generally refers to a distilled spirit made from fermented fruit juice. It can be produced using grapes or fruit. (Calvados, for instance, is an apple brandy from the Normandy region in France).

Is Calvados a good brandy?

A smaller snifter, or a good white-wine glass, is superior for enjoying any brandy. Calvados in particular can defy our expectations of brandy. Because it's distilled from cider rather than from wine, it's more rustic by nature than Cognac or Armagnac. Certainly it is by reputation.

How much does calvados cost?

Today, a VSOP calvados should cost somewhere in the realms of $40. This price can vary depending on whether it's of the revered Pays d'Auge appellation or made in the larger AOC calvados. Meanwhile, a premium calvados that has been aged for over ten years should cost around $100.

What is calvados wine?

Calvados is an apple brandy with Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status. ... Calvados isn't distilled from wine grapes, however. It begins as cider. While a small percentage of perry pears is permitted, the base cider is made primarily from apples.

How do the French drink Calvados?

How & When to drink Calvados

• For relaxing in the evening, after a good meal, Calvados is best served in a tulip-shaped glass which concentrates and reveals its irresistibly smooth, full character, its oaky and caramelised notes and its amazing length on the palate. ...
• © Mael BALLAND.

Do you drink Calvados neat?

"But, you can enjoy it like you would a good whiskey — you can enjoy it after dinner but also before a meal." Béjot advises serving it in a tulip-shaped glass, which will trap the aromas, and drinking neat without ice for maximum flavour — "small wine glasses are also fine [to serve in]," he stipulates.

How do you drink fine Calvados?

Calvados makes a good apéritif or digéstif. "The traditional way to enjoy Calvados is as an after-dinner drink," Béjot says. "But, you can enjoy it like you would a good whiskey — you can enjoy it after dinner but also before a meal."

Can you drink Calvados by itself?

• Try a shot of Calvados by itself. Open a bottle of room temperature Calvados and pour two ounces into a glass. Take a small sip and allow the Calvados to roll over your tongue. Pay attention to its flavor while it is in your mouth instead of quickly swallowing it.

What goes well with Calvados?

• Enjoy a glass of Calvados with a simple fruit plate. Apple brandy acts as an elegant complement to a variety of fresh fruits. Peaches, pears, apricots, prunes, and grapes pair well with Calvados. Of course, apple brandy also pairs well with an assortment of fresh apples.

What makes Boulard Calvados so special?

• Boulard doesn’t just use a Charentais copper pot still, but also ages its eau-de-vie in the same Limousin oak barrels as premium cognac for between 8 and 15 years. As a result, Boulard calvados is remarkably balanced with a richly complex tableau of amber flavour.

What is the best young calvados blend?

• Another young calvados blend, Richard Prével’s Originel focuses on the apple’s potential to deliver fresh and lively fruity flavours. For such a young blend, it’s surprisingly nuanced and balanced after having being aged in small oak casks to ensure a thorough yet brief ageing process.