Calvados is an apple brandy from the French région of Basse-Normandie or Lower Normandy.

Like most French wines, Calvados is governed by appellation contrôlée regulations. There are three appellations for calvados:

The AOC calvados area includes all of the Calvados, Manche, and Orne départements and parts of Eure, Mayenne, Sarthe, and Eure-et-Loir.

AOC calvados makes up for over 70 percent of the total production.

Minimum of two years ageing in oak barrels.

The terroir, geographical area, is defined.

The apples and pears are defined cider varieties.

The procedures in production like pressing, fermentation, distillation and ageing is regulated.

Usually single column distillation.

The more restrictive AOC calvados Pays d'Auge area is limited to the east end of the département of Calvados and a few adjoining districts.

Extensive quality control—the basic rules for AOC calvados together with several additional requirements.

Ageing for minimum of two years in oak barrels.

Double distillation in an alembic pot-still.

Produced within the designated area in Pays d'Auge.

A minimum of six weeks fermentation of the cider.

Flavour elements are controlled.

AOC calvados Domfrontais reflects the long tradition of pear orchards in the area, resulting in a unique fruity calvados. The regulation is similar to the AOC calvados and the column still is used.

A minimum of 30 percent pears from the designated areas is used.

A three-year minimum of ageing in oak barrels.

The orchards must consist of at least 15 percent of pear trees (25 percent from the sixteenth harvest).

Fermier "farm-made" calvados—some quality minded producers both inside and outside the Pays d’Auge make "calvados fermier", which indicates that the calvados is entirely made on the farm in a traditional agricultural way according to high quality demandsGrades of quality

The age on the bottle refers to the youngest constituent of the blend. A blend is often composed of old and young calvados. Producers can also use the terms below to refer to the age.

"Fine", "Trois étoiles ***", "Trois pommes"—at least two years old.

"Vieux"—"Réserve"—at least three years old.

"V.O." "VO", "Vieille Réserve", "V.S.O.P." "VSOP"—at least four years old.

"Extra", "X.O." "XO", "Napoléon", "Hors d'Age" "Age Inconnu"—at least six years old. Often sold much older.

High quality calvados usually has parts which are much older than that mentioned. Calvados can be made from a single (generally, exceptionally good) year. When this happens, the label often carries that year.

Tasting

Calvados is the basis of the tradition of le trou Normand, or "the Norman hole". This is a small drink of Calvados taken between courses in a very long meal, sometimes with apple sorbet, supposed to re-awaken the appetite. Calvados can be served as aperitif, blended in drinks, between meals, as a digestif, or with coffee. Well-made calvados should naturally be reminiscent of apples and pears, balanced with flavours of ageing. The less aged calvados distinguishes itself with its fresh apple and pear aromas. The longer the calvados is aged, the more the taste resembles that of any other aged brandy. As calvados ages, it may become golden or darker brown with orange elements and red mahogany. The nose and palate are delicate with concentration of aged apples and dried apricots balanced with butterscotch, nut and chocolate aromas.