🥃 Calvados

Calvados is a French apple brandy from Normandy, a cousin of cognac and armagnac that starts from cider instead of wine. Cider made from apples and pears is distilled and then aged for at least two years in oak casks. The name is EU-protected, and the spirit must be at least 40 % ABV (80 proof on US labels) when sold. Local IGP wines of the same name are a different product.

The raw material is cider apples and perry pears from Normandy orchards. At least 70 % of the apple trees must be phenolic (tannin-rich) varieties, and 35 % of the orchard area must be tall-stem trees. The juice is never sweetened, and at least 21 days pass between pressing and distillation.

Distillation takes place in copper stills, and the spirit comes off at no more than 72 % ABV. It is then aged for at least 24 months in oak. There are three appellations: Calvados (pot still with a second distillation, or a continuous column), Calvados Pays d'Auge (double distillation in a pot still only, with no more than 30 % pears) and Calvados Domfrontais (column still, at least 30 % pears, ageing from 3 years).

The name comes from the département of Calvados, created after the Revolution. Pays d'Auge was the first AOC (1942), and in 1984 ten regional appellations were merged into one. According to IDAC, about 4.35 million bottles were sold in 2025, and roughly 300 distilleries make it.

Why this matters to you. On the label, look for Appellation Calvados Contrôlée and an age statement: VS or "three stars" means at least 2 years, Vieux or Réserve at least 3, VSOP or V.O. at least 4, and XO, Hors d'âge or Napoléon at least 6. Do not mix calvados up with cider: cider is only the raw material for distilling.

Separately, there is an IGP "Calvados" for wines: Normandy's only vineyard, near Grisy (in the commune of Vendeuvre), which makes still white, rosé and red wines, notably from Pinot gris, Auxerrois and Pinot noir. They were first recognised as a "vin de pays" in 1968, and winegrowing there restarted in 1995.