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Cider Digest #0735
Subject: Cider Digest #735, 5 April 1998
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #735 5 April 1998
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: American Cider Apple Trees (Marc Montefusco)
Re: Cider Digest #734, 31 March 1998 (William J. Rhyne)
apple varieties (Eric James Urquhart)
Cider competitions (Terence Bradshaw, Ben Machin)
Replanting apples (Andrew Lea)
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Subject: Re: American Cider Apple Trees
From: Marc Montefusco <mmontefusco@mmsw.com>
Date: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 08:12:08 -0500
Don Wegeng asks about American cider apple trees. It's easy to point to the
various references, but in terms of personal experience, I can comment on a
few of the varieties in his list.
First of all, Arkansas Black and Black Twig are two different varieties.
Arkansas Black has potential as a cider apple, but is relatively flavorless
unless allowed to age after pciking. It seems to have some tannin, and the
sugar/acid balance is acceptable (by the way, all the opinions expressed here
lack any foundation in chemical analysis.) Expect great color from the dark
skins, and also expect your grinding mechanism to work a little harder on the
rock-solid flesh. Black Twig has even more potential, producing cider with a
definite mouth-feel that may be attributable to high tannin and acid levels.
(By the way, I think the Miller variety is actually Arkansas Black. Get Black
Twig from another source, if you can.) Black Twig is best pressed soon after
picking. It seems to be in the Winesap "family", which brings me to that
venerable apple. Winesaps are extremely variable, depending on the exact
clone, cultural practices, weather, and so forth. At their best, they make
good cider, even good varietal cider. I have had excellent results using
Winesaps as the base for a champagne-style cider, where deficiencies in flavor
and mouth-feel are compensated by a lot of charming little bubbles. Hope this
helps.
Marc Montefusco
New World Cider
Soon to be a web site at www.newworldcider.com!
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Subject: Re: Cider Digest #734, 31 March 1998
From: rhyne@pop.winterlan.com (William J. Rhyne)
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 09:03:54 -0800
RE: American cider trees for Don Wegeng
I have read that Hewe's Crab apple was an excellent cider variety in the
Virginia area many years ago but I don't know if it still exists or where
it is grown. Out here in California, I talked to an apple grower who blends
in about 10% crabapples with his cider to give it a little "zing". It is
hard to find apples that have some bitter qualities to give a more complex
flavor.
That said, our latest batch is coming out very nicely with a blend of
Arkansas Black, Gravenstein, Rome, Granny and Golden Delicious.
Bill Rhyne
Rhyne Cyder
===========================
William J. Rhyne
===========================
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Subject: apple varieties
From: Eric James Urquhart <eurquhar@sfu.ca>
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 11:13:44 -0800 (PST)
Donald Wegeng wanted to know about apple varieties:
Arkblack/Black Twig,
Calville Blanc- quite acidic here very white decent apple fragrance.
Cox Orange Pippin- an excellent eating apple but here in coastal BC tends
to be troubled with a lot of fungus problems.
Duchess of Oldenburg
Gravenstein- I have have excellent fragrant apple cider made from this
apple. It made up the majority ofd the apples used.
Pound Sweet, Red Astrachan, Roxbury
Russet, Sops of Wine, Spitzenburg, Wagener,
Winesap- excellent eating apple very sweet and fragrant with a decent amt
of acid.
Wolf River.
As always your mileage may vary. Check the cold hardiness of these
varieties.
Eric Urquhart, Centre for Pest Management,
Dept. of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University,
8888 University Drive,
Burnaby, British Columbia, CANADA V5A 1S6
lab (604) 291-3090 fax (604) 291-3496
------------------------------
Subject: Cider competitions
From: madshaw@quest-net.com (Terence Bradshaw, Ben Machin)
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 21:12:21 -0600 (CST)
Anyone know of any cider competitions coming up? If I remember correwctly I
believe that Cask & Hive Winery in Maine has one. I'm in Vermont and
looking for one I can attend or send an entry to.
Terence Bradshaw Ben Machin
Pomona Tree Fruit Service Maple Lane Farm
RD 1 Box 150, Chelsea, VT 05038 RR1 Box 131
(802)685-2113 Chelsea, VT 05038
Golden Apple Orchard (802)685-2113
Whalley Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445
(802)425-2060
http://www.uvm.edu/~tbradsha/home.html madshaw@mail.quest-net.com
------------------------------
Subject: Replanting apples
From: Andrew Lea <andrew_lea@compuserve.com>
Date: Sat, 4 Apr 1998 04:22:03 -0500
In Digest 734, Don Wegeng wrote:
>Last weekend's spring-like weather prompted me to cut down my two
uninteresting apple trees. Now I need to fill the empty space!
<
Being on the wrong side of the herring pond, I can't offer any advice about
what to plant. But be careful NOT to plant the new trees in the same
spaces as the old ones. If you do, they'll never thrive - they must go
into clean soil which haven't had apples before (just like roses). I'm not
a plant pathologist, but my understanding is that this problem (known as
SARD, for Specific Apple Replant Disease) is caused by soil fungi such as
Pythium, and as far as I know there are no effective soil treatments to get
around this - perhaps someone else on the Digest could confirm this?
The alternative way of changing from varieties you don't want is to cut the
old one back to a leg or a short framework and to top-work new grafts of
the desired cultivar onto it. This way you avoid SARD and get going again
quicker. If Don hasn't grubbed out the roots yet and has left a stem
perhaps there's stilll time to do this!
Any pomologists reading the Digest who would like to comment?
Andrew Lea
nr Oxford, UK
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End of Cider Digest #735
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