CALVADOS is a beautiful and unique spirit, and it is all too often added to the dish during cooking as opposed to being enjoyed in a wee glass while cooking. It is, in fact, one of the unsung heroes of the spirit world.
Essentially it is a brandy distilled from cider made from apples and pears grown in Normandy, France. The juice is fermented into a dry cider before being distilled into eau de vie. The spirit is then aged in oak for a minimum of two years at which point it can be sold as a lovely aperitif. Longer ageing makes for a smoother spirit, which should be enjoyed with the cheeseboard or a nice apple tart. Or simply in front of the fire after a long day.
The magic provided by the distiller involves selecting a combination of the best apples, which can be sweet, bittersweet, bitter or sour from the very best orchards. Calvados comes with its own "terroir", which you will immediately notice when tasting a £15 example as opposed to a £50 bottle. Bear in mind that the prices go up and up, with some phenomenally old bottles fetching more than £1,000.
If you see "Trois Etoiles" or "Trois Pommes" on the label, then the spirit will have been aged for two to three years. "VSOP" indicates a minimum of four years ageing, while "Hors d’Age" will have had at least six years in barrel.
The specific region of origin makes a difference too, and my favourite bottles come from Pays d’Auge. These are richer and more complex than most, and are worth the extra few quid that you have to pay for them.
Domaine Dupont VSOP Pays d’Auge (Inverarity One to One, £46.99). This beautifully elegant spirit has been aged for more than the minimum four years required, and it is arguably the finest Calvados I’ve tasted. It is just delicious.
Calvados Pere Magloire VSOP Pays d’Auge (Waitrose, £22.49 for a 50cl bottle). Pere Magloire have been making Calvados the same way since 1821 and are known as being among the best producers on the market. They were owned by Veuve Clicquot for 30 years from 1968, and are now owned by a Normandy-based family who are keen to preserve the history and quality of the estate. This is very fruity and approachable, and a great introduction to the style.
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street, Glasgow www.inveraritymorton.com
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here