num_pages: 766
description: Calvados is a pear and apple-based brandy from Normandy France. With a history dating back nearly 500 years the region has a long tradition of distilling their ciders into delicious and complex spirits. While not as well known as Cognac or Armagnac Calvados holds a dear place in the hearts of many spirits lovers.In this comprehensive study Charles Neal takes the reader on a back road voyage throughout Northern France from Mount Saint Michel to Rouen from Omaha Beach to the small hidden hamlets of the Orne. The history of the region and its distinctiveness in France are fully defined.All of the factors that go into making quality calvados are explained from the various soil types apple and pear varieties and cider production to its distillation and aging in barrel. With biographies and reviews of more than 200 producers dotted throughout the Norman countryside Calvados is an indispensable guide for the serious spirits connoisseur.
language: English
title: Calvados: The Spirit of Normandy
publisher: Wine Appreciation Guild