Which fruit is used to make calvados?
Calvados is made from cider apples and perry pears, first fermented into cider or perry and then distilled. According to the trade body, it uses cider fruit, not dessert fruit. The orchards cover over 8,000 hectares, with 230 cider apple and 139 perry pear varieties. Calvados Domfrontais must use at least 30% perry pears.
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Key facts
- Cider fruit, not table fruit. Small, tannin-rich apples and perry pears. [1]
- Four apple families. Sharp, bittersharp, sweet and bittersweet, blended for balance. [1]
- Phenolic orchards. At least 70% of orchard varieties are bitter or bittersweet types. [2]
Can calvados be made from any apple?
No. The trade body says calvados uses cider fruit, which is smaller and richer in tannin than table fruit, and every permitted apple and pear variety is listed in each appellation's specification. [1] About cider apples in general: what cider apples are.
How much pear goes into calvados?
It depends on the appellation. Pays d'Auge allows at most 30% perry pears in the cider for distillation, while Domfrontais needs at least 30% perry pears, and its farms must plant pear trees on at least 25% of their orchard area. [2]
Is it distilled from fruit or from cider?
From cider or perry — the fruit is fermented first, then distilled. [1] Step by step: how calvados is made.
Related answers: what is calvados · how is calvados made
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Cider, perry, calvados and pommeau are alcoholic drinks. Enjoy responsibly and follow the legal drinking age where you live.
Questions
Is calvados an apple brandy distilled straight from fruit?
No. The trade body describes it as a cider or perry eau-de-vie, made from fruit that has already been fermented. [1]
How many apples go into a litre?
About 18 kg of apples make 13 litres of 5% cider, which distil to 1 litre of calvados at 70% before ageing and reduction. [1]
Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions — IDAC — Calvados Nouvelle Vogue
- The Calvados trio with their terroirs & appellations — IDAC — Calvados Nouvelle Vogue