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16 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Calvados is a... |
- Fruit based spirit - made from apples or pears - since 1533 and probably before |
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Four designations of apple brandy from Normandy are... |
1 Basic Eau-de-vie de Cidre/Poire (Normandie/Bretangne/Maine) 2 AOC Calvados - often contains region name as well 3 AOC Calvados Domfrontais - 30% pear 4 AOC Calvados du Pays d'Auge - premium, centre of the region |
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AOC Calvados Pays d'Auge... |
- may contain a max of 30% pears - fermented for 6 weeks - must be double distilled slowly in a (Charentais) copper pot still in the Cognac method - first pass, petites eaux, 30% abv - some may age before redistilling to 65%-70% - 2 years minimum aging in oak |
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AOC Calvados must be made... |
- in a single column still - it is lighter in character - and must be aged for a min of 2 years in oak. |
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AOC Calvados Domfrontais... |
minimum 30% Pears single column still minimum 3 year aging in oak barrels |
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How is Calvados produced? |
- cidre is made from apples - cidre is distilled - Must enrichment, addition of sugar and So2 are forbidden - short period aging in new oak for structure long period in old oak for slow oxidation -age statments refer to the youngest in the blend |
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Calvados age classifications... |
***/Fine - min 2 years, 3 for Domfrontais Vieux/Reserve - min 3 years VO/VSOP/Vieille Reserve - min 4 years XO/Extra/Napoleon/Hors d'age/Age Inconnu - min 6, often older |
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Calvados Orchards are planted with... |
any of the 46 varieties allowed divided into 4 categories 1 - Sour and Acidic ( acidify, stabilize, add fresh character) 2 - Bitter (tannin, ability to fix flavours) 3 - Bittersweet (sugar and tannin) 4 - Sweet (sugar for alcohol) |
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A typical blend of apples (from the Busnel distillery) is... |
10% acid = Avrolles, Locart vert, Petit Jaune 20% bitter = Franquin Rouge, Bisquet, Metais 50% bitter-sweet = Bionet Rouge, Bisquet Cartigny, Douce Moen 20% sweet = Douce Coet, Clos Renaud - fears that switching to a smaller selection of apples is causing some varieties to dissapear |
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Fruit Spirits can be made with... |
- any fruit - stone fruits - fermented into a fruit wine because there are enough sugars in the fruit (can also ferment williams pear) - soft fruits - lower in sugar, are macerated in neutral alcohol - large distillers buy fruit from eastern Europe already macerated - can also ferment fruit, really low return but great results |
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Decisions made by a fruit spirit distiller... |
- To crush, or not to crush the pit (gives distinctive almond character - removing stones can damage the fruit, potentially losing aromatics/flavour - Natural v Commercial yeasts - 2/4 weeks fermentation for a wine of about 5% no chaptalization allowed. |
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Fruit spirits are generally expensive because... |
It can take 100kg of fruit to make 10 litres for fruit spirit - essential to use ripe, clean untainted fruit |
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Stone Fruit Spirit Examples |
Mirabella & Quetsch (Plum) Kirsch (Cherry) |
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Fruit Spirit fermentation |
Crushed fruit has yeast added & alcoholic liquid of around 5% is produced. This is then distilled. |
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Fruit Spirit Distillation |
- continuous and discontinuous column stills - pot still with rectifying column - Bain Marie / Bagno Maria, prevents burning and off notes, allows for distillation at lower temperatures for better retention of aromatics - collection at high strength to capture most fragrance and avoid excess methanol levels which can result from rotted fruit |
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Are fruit distillates aged? |
- not generally, rested in glass jars or stainless steel to 'mellow' - thought to improve esterfication (generarion of fruity aromas, alcohol+acid=ester) (mostly in the case of stone fruit spirits) -spirits high in terpenes (volatile components of essential oils) (soft fruits and aromatic grape varieties) and therefore bottled earlier - if wood is used, usually ash (downside, high evaporation) |
