Charlemagne, the Frankish Emperor of France and King of the West, was not a man beloved for his good habits and pleasing personality. In 786, after the emperor spent several days in Reims, the abbot of the local monastery wrote to a colleague in Rome that "our Sovereign King smells like a horse, eats like a pig, has the voice of a raven and the manners of an ape".

Despite his social shortcomings, Charlemagne did at least two things that forever endeared him to the French. The first thing he did was to appropriate for himself and several friends half a million square meters of land in the township of Vougeot, situated in the area of Burgundy . He insisted, that the land be planted with grape vines. Since the 18th century the vines here have produced the wines Clos Vougeot, wines so beloved that even today, when French soldiers march past the land, they salute.

The second of Charlemagne's endearing acts was when he decided that all of the farmers in Normandy must cultivate apple trees. Even though the populace learned to prune their trees and mastered the art of grafting, for many years all of these apple trees were somewhat of a nuisance. There were simply so many apples in Normandy that no one knew what to do with them. By the middle of the 16th century, however, several enterprising farmers decided to use their extra apples to make brandy. At the beginning of the 19th century a public law gave this brandy the name of Calvados.

Today, every Frenchman knows that there are three great French brandies - Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados. Although the French enjoy arguing over which of the three is the greatest, the argu- ment is somewhat frivolous. Because Calvados is made from fer- mented apple juice and not from grapes it is actually in a category of its own.

Of all the orchards in Normandy, none are more beautiful than those in the district of Auge, and it is here that the best Calvados is produced. In order to receive the highly valued "Appellation Controlee" that allows a producer to use the name of the district on his bottle, the apples are controlled, just as the grapes in wine producing areas. This means that the apples must be grown, crushed, pressed, made into cider and then distilled within the boundaries of the district.

As if to prove that not all Calvados is great, about four or five million Frenchman start their days by making their way to the brass or copper covered bar in their neighborhood cafes and there down a large glass of young Calvados. Their claim that this "starts their blood flowing" is probably accurate, because young Calvados, which has a taste somewhat reminiscent of kerosene, has an alcoholic content of up to seventy percent. Truly good Calvados, on the other hand is aged in oak casks for from ten to fifteen years before it is considered drinkable.

Although most people think of Calvados as an after-dinner drink, some, like this writer, may even adapt the habit of many Normandy farmers, of serving it in the middle of large meals to aid digestion and cleaning the palate between courses.

Following are my evaluations of each of the different types of Calvados I have encountered recently. The scores are are based on a maximum of 100 points.

Busnel 94 Outstanding
Boulard 92 Outstanding
Pere Francois 76 Above Average
Mon Calvas 72 Average
Silvane 67 Below Average
Baron Randolph 65 Below Average

Travelling through Calvados Country

Those planning a trip to Normandy may be interested to know that more than seventy five percent of all Calvados is distilled on private farms. Many of these turn out exquisite brandies and nearly all farmers will invite visitors in to sample their pro- duct. Those passing through Pont l'Eveque can sample the Calvados of Boulard at its source by driving on to the nearby village of Coquanvilliers and asking for the Distillerie du Moulin de la Foulonnerie". In Pont l'Eveque one should also consider sampling the traditional Norman cuisine at the Auberge de la Touques. Especially recomended at this pleasant restaurant are the turbot with apples, the duckling with Camembert cheese and the trout with asparagus.

© Daniel Rogov