On our travels and discussions with consumers we see how
Pommeau has a sense of mystery and confusion in the marketplace. We have heard it referred to as fortified wine or a dessert wine. Sometimes as sweet apple brandy. So let's get started explaining What is Pommeau?
Pommeau originated in Calvados, a region in Normandie France that has Appellation d’Origin Contrôlée (AOC) status for the production of apple brandy. And these regulations are detailed. The brandy starts with fresh apple juice and possibly some pear juice pressed with the extracted juice called "must".
The must is naturally fermented in tank. The specifications do not authorize pasteurization or the addition of gas, acid or sugar. The fermentation process transforms the sugars contained in the must into alcohol. The ciders are ready to be distilled when the sugars have been completely consumed and the alcohol content is at least 4.5% abv at 20°. There is a minimum of 21 days, in which time the fermentation takes place, between the juice extraction and the distillation for Calvados and Calvados Pays d’Auge. This minimum increases to 30 days for Calvados Domfrontais.
Two types of still coexist within Calvados’ three appellations: the pot still and the column still (fixed or mobile). The Calvados appellation is the only appellation to allow the two methods of distillation. For the Calvados Pays d’Auge, a double distillation is carried in a pot still, usually made of copper. The column still is mandatory for the distillation of Calvados Domfrontais and is widely used for Calvados. Five or six first distillations are required to obtain enough brouillis at 30% to be added back to the boiler for the second distillation.
Depending on the appellation, Calvados can only be sold after a minimum ageing of two or three years. It is aged only in oak barrels, from sessile or pedunculate oak. In certain distilleries, the young Calvados is first aged in 250 to 600-litre new oak barrels, which contain a lot of tannins, to give it color and character before transferring it to older barrels, some of which can be a 100 years old. To be legally released for sale, Calvados must be at least 40% abv.
Classic Pommeau (Pommeau de Normandie) is a cordial that is a blend of unfermented apple cider and Calvados that is then aged a minimum of 14 months in oak barrels. Officially it is classified as a mistelle -- a blend of brandy and fruit juice. The blend itself various by distiller with some using a 3-1 apple cider to brandy contribution. The overall alcohol per volume ranges between 16-18% which may explain the fortified wine and dessert wine comparisons. Another popular French Pommeau is Pommeau de Bretagne which is produced in Brittany, using lambig apple brandy instead of Calvados.
On the other hand, distillers outside of Normandie are not bound by these regulations and can experiment with different styles. In Virginia,
Sage Bird Ciderworks blends eau de vie (un-aged brandy) with a light fermentation of Harrison and Dabinett apples to produce their
2022 Long Night Pommeau. The blend is aged in freshly-dumped bourbon barrels from
A. Smith Bowman for a minimum of 12 months.
Last week we tasted a sweeter Pommeau and stronger at
Finnriver Farm & Cidery on the Olympic Peninsula. They start with 100 proof apple brandy distilled from their cider and aged for two months in American oak. This is blended with Fall apple harvest must from a combination of organically grown traditional bittersharp and bittersweet cider apples grown on their estate and on Orca Island. The 20% abv mixture continues to mature in the barrel for approximately two years before bottling.
In Minnesota,
Milk and Honey Ciders offers a Pommeau that blends the fresh-pressed juice of Newtown Pippins, Golden Russets, and Chestnut crab apples with apple brandy that was distilled in partnership with
Tattersall Distilling that had been aged in used bourbon barrels for 18 months. The mixture was then aged for an additional two years before bottling.
Popular food pairings include melon, blue cheese, and apparently salmon. And then there's always a cocktail option. Here's the Orchard 75 by Jason Wilson.
- 1 ½ ounces pommeau
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 ½ fluid ounces chilled dry hard cider
- Lemon twist for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add pommeau, gin, lemon juice and bitters. Shake well, then strain into a medium (12-oz.) wineglass. Top with hard cider and garnish with a lemon twist, if desired.
Pet-Nat cider is a type of sparkling cider that finishes its primary fermentation in the bottle, producing a natural carbonation. It's full name is Pétillant Naturel and is also referred in the wine world as Méthode Ancestrale -- the oldest method of producing sparkling wine. This process involves bottling the wine or cider before it has fully completed its first fermentation, allowing the natural sugars in the juice to produce carbon dioxide. This is a delicate art form since bottling too late results in less effervescence and too early -- possible catastrophe. The ideal result is a softly fizzy, and usually hazy and funky cider from the unfiltered yeast particles.
In the Pomme and Perry Showcase, Jackson Hole Wyoming's Farmstead Cider entered their Teton Pet-Nat ($21). This delicious sparkling cider started with a wild ferment then was bottled just before going dry, producing a beautiful effervescent, hazy, and slightly funky sparkling cider. For a little change of pace we also added a shot of Virago Spirits Cherry Liqueur which elevated the experience -- brought back memories of picking Idaho and Wyoming cherries. 
Farmstead Cider also has an interesting backstory and harvest history as it became the first commercial cidery in Wyoming in over 100 years. Apparently grizzly bears have been drawn out of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks into urban communities foraging for apples -- putting them in direct conflict with humans. To mitigate this problem, Farmstead Cider founders Ian McGregor and Orion Bellorado decided to remove the apples and themselves forage the community for various apples. In the process they have rediscovered "forgotten 150+ year old apple trees, planting new orchards in places where growing apples was thought to be impossible, and teaching people about high altitude farming along the way". Apparently the high altitude and cold winters of Jackson Hole and the rest of Wyoming create excellent cider apples.
