Learn more about how cider is made!
Apples
There are up to 800 types of apples that can be used to make cider. Apples of different sweetness, acidity and bitterness should be blended together.
Similar to the difference between wine grapes and grapes, wine apples are smaller and have thicker skins than table apples. They have a tart flavor, but retain more aromatic and mellow flavors when distilled.
Unlike the familiar method of apple picking, the Normans harvested apples by shaking the trunk of a tree. The apples are dropped on tarpaulins and placed in sacks. The ripeness of the apples is very important in the harvesting process. There are three stages of ripening: early (September), mid (October to mid-November) and late (harvest in December and storage in January).
Press
After crushing the apples into a uniform puree, the apples are “rested” for a few hours and then the juice is pressed and extracted.
Fermentation
The apple juice is fermented in its natural state for several months and then turned into cider. When the fermentation process is finally complete, the cider can be distilled to produce Calvados.
Distillation
The distillation process is very similar to that of Cognac. The head and tail of the wine are placed on one side and the middle part is distilled into cider. The distillation stage begins in winter and continues until the following summer. To get one liter of 100% alcohol cider, you need about 27 kg of apples. The same number of apples will make 20 liters more cider at 5% alcohol.
Aging
A slow and detailed maturation process in oak barrels. The tannins used for oak aging gradually blend with the fruit aromas in the cider, creating a subtle golden and amber color.
