Pomme and Perry Showcase: What is Pommeau?

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.

Rum in Richmond with Virago Spirits

In the last few months we've visited a plethora of distilleries focusing on rum where this spirit seems to be enjoying a new renaissance of discovery. While visiting Richmond for the Virginia Wine Gala, we ventured into Virago Spirits -- primary because of its proximity to Hardywood Craft Brewery in Richmond's Historic German Brewing District.  Upon entering the tasting room we went through a journey into rum while gazing all the while on their vintage, direct-fire, 2,500-liter Charentais-style alembic still. 

Virago's slogan should be "slow-down" as they slowly distill their spirits using alembic still in  single distillation runs that take 12 hours and 48 hours for a complete distillation cycle (three ‘broullis’ distillations + one ‘bon chauffe’ distillation). This duration allows the distillery to separate out the crude portions of the distillate and to concentrate flavor. The flavor is also enhanced by the direct-fire nature of the still which requires an agitator that keeps the mash moving inside the pot. Without it, heat would be distributed too unevenly, and the mash could scorch. The distillery believes this "adds layers of depth and complexity of flavor". The distillery also slows the process by aging and finishing their rum in various oak treatments. 

However, their flagship and most bartender friendly product is the 151 High Proof Rum. This spirit is made from double-distilled molasses. The touch of expected heat is offset by clean tropical fruits and a layered profile. They also offer a more traditional Classic White Rum at 80 proof that provides a similar flavor profile without the burn.

We then moved into the Four-Point Rum section where this rum is a blend of four major rum destinations: Barbados (8-year-old rum, pot and column distilled, Jamaica (4-year-old rum, pot distilled), Nicaragua (5-8-year-old rum, column distilled), and Panama (6-year-old rum, column distilled). These individual rums are then blended in house to create a beautiful and complex rum - a sipping can cigar rum. This brand is then made even more complex by finishing in other used casks. The Cognac Cask Finished Rum rested for 15 months in freshly-emptied, 30-year-old Grande Champagne cognac casks which adds additional floral and tropical attributes from the nose through the finish. The Ruby Port Cask Finished Rum spent months in freshly-emptied casks of ruby port from Portugal’s Douro Valley which provides earthier and cherry fruit elements to the final rum. A fantastic series. 

Finally, Virago Spirits releases several other gin, liqueur, and apple products such as a very delicious Pommeau and an Apple Brandy still resting. For gin, they offer the Modern Gin with Oolong Tea and the Kali Hibiscus Gin. Since most of their rums are available in the ABC system, I purchased a bottle of Ginjinha - Cherry Liqueur which strongly resembles the similar Portuguese liqueur.  Although the Virago version is made using  tart Montmorency cherries from Michigan and a secret blend of winter spices. Delicious. Also, look at the exceptional glassware they use to provide the flights. Little Libations material. 

Sage Bird Ciderworks Pommeau and Ashmead's Kernel for #openthatciderbottle

When I heard that the American Cider Association's Open That Cider Bottle was returning on February 25, 2023, I leveraged a trip to Harrisonburg to visit Sage Bird Ciderworks and see what would be a  worthy cider to open that night. I love this cidery's Age Old Apples series showcasing heirloom apple varieties and have written previously about their Harrison and Virginia Hewe's Crab ciders.  Black Twig and Dabinett were two other ciders in the heirloom series but I decided on a new apple variety to me: Ashmead's Kernel. 

Ashmead's Kernel is an old English russet apple that originated from a seed planted around 1700 by Dr. Thomas Ashmead in Gloucester, England. The apple is lumpy, misshapen, and rather small with green and golden-brown skin, and a distinct crisp, nutty snap.  Interestingly, Ashmead's Kernel is one of a few apple varieties from the Old World that succeeded in the New World.  "When the first settlers arrived in North America they brought with them tried and tested varieties from Europe, yet few adapted to the very different climates of North America and most of the early successful American apple varieties were chance seedlings that evolved in America.  However Ashmead's Kernel did thrive, and today holds a position of respect on both sides of the Atlantic..". -- Orange Pippen

The tasting notes from Sage Bird Ciderworks remark that the Ashmead's Kernel is dry and tart with a moderate body and crisp finish. Notes of champagne, citrus, ripe apple, and green grape. Check back after the 25th for our descriptors. 

I also noticed that Sage Bird produces a pommeau and had to include that in Open That Cider Bottle. Pommeau is a French-inspired cordial that’s made by blending unfermented cider with apple brandy (traditional Calvados).  The percentages are usually two-thirds apple must (unfermented apple juice) to one-third apple brandy in order to ensure that the resulting mixture has 16–18% alcohol by volume (abv). The potion is then usually finished in oak for at least one year. 

Long Night is their winter pommeau made from a light fermentation of a blend of Harrison and Dabinett apples and eau de vie (un-aged brandy) distilled from their Dry River Reserve distillery. According to the cidery,  the blending "arrests fermentation, leaving a naturally sweet yet high alcohol and stable mixture. We then age this mixture in freshly-dumped bourbon barrels from A Smith Bowman in Fredericksburg for a minimum of 12 months. The result is a wonderfully complex fortified dessert apple wine. Strong notes of stewed apple, butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, berry, and brandy on the nose and palate with a natural assertive sweetness, balanced tannin, and warming alcohol".  Can't wait to open it. 

Check back next week for updates on Open That Cider Bottle and hope to see these and other ciders participating in the BevFluence New Perspectives on Cider, Perry, and Brandy campaign.

Update: The Ashmead's Kernel is very dry and tart and sour. Not a lot of tannins, just fresh acidity, and limes & mint. A bit funky.  The Long Night is beautiful with fresh juicy apple juice complimented by a fuller brandy-driven profile with a lengthy satisfying finish.