Calvados

Normandy Spirit

The mild climatic conditions in the ocean province of Normandy on France's Northern shores have given birth to one of the country's most famous brandies - Calvados. Taking its name from a ship that sailed in the ill-fated Spanish Armada of 1588, Calvados has been distilled with typical French passion for more than four hundred years. Cognac and Armagnac swear by their vines and grapes, whereas Calvados prefers its orchards and apples: Acidic Avrolles, Marie-Ménard, with its pronounced bitterness and the sweet-tasting Clos Renaud. These apples produce the most wonderful brandies - choose between young and lively or heady and powerful, Packed with spices and fruits, Calvados is a treat just waiting to be discovered....