Bittersharp

Scion Wood Categories

Krys

Category:
$5.00

(high acid, high sugar, high tannins)

We don’t know for sure what this variety is, but we suspect it is a M26 rootstock. A long time ago, James trained and pruned these rogue rootstocks just like the other trees in his orchard. Fittingly, he has since forgotten what he had planted and after his brain injury renamed them “Krys”. We have used this variety in our cider blends for many years. The tree produces good crops of high brix, high acid, high tannin medium sized apples on a biennial schedule. They drop when ripe and make a slow fermenting, outrageously fruity, high intensity cider. The tree is the ugliest thing you have ever seen, with copious burr knots and fat gnarled spurs, once it settles down. Before it settles down it grows vigorous, upright shoots with no apical dominance. You have been warned.

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Herefordshire Redstreak

Category: ,
$5.00

Herefordshire Redstreak (early bittersharp)

Lovely petrol and ripe apple aromas. Lots of acid and nice tannins.

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Solarina

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$5.00

Galerina (Spanish)

Haven’t fruited yet. Just a little bit of scion wood to share with experimentalists.

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Stembridge Cluster

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$5.00

Stembridge Cluster, (bittersharp, with “petrol” qualities)

Nice soft tannin and great acidity. This variety is excellent for cider, but biennial bearing.

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Collaos

Category: ,
$5.00

Collaos

Newly release from quarantine Spanish cider. Has that special Spanish zingy acidity to it. Still need to do lots of eval on this.

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Porter’s Perfection

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$5.00

Porter’s Perfection (Intensely fruity, fresh, petrol, bright acid)

We are pretty excited about how this apple (often identifiable by its fused fruits) seems to express petrol and mineral characteristics on our Van Etten site. This apple also has BSA aromas, as well as a bright fresh acid. Porter’s makes a exceptional single variety cider that is both bright and fruity and dense and minerially. One of our favorite apples.

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Stoke Red

Category: ,
$5.00

Stoke Red (Early fruity acid and tannin)

This strongly biannual bittersharp has a lovely bright-fruit characteristic.

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Kingston Black

Category: ,
$5.00

“Kingston Black. (Elusive, exceptional)

Many folks have given up on Kingston Black. For all the hype about it being the best single variety cider, the tree is difficult to grow—lots of blind wood, slow to come into bearing, small apples, low yields, biennial. The cider, too, can be a challenge to make. The tannins can be bitter, the flavors centering around tobacco and bittersweet apple. But grown well and made well, Kingston Black cider can be revelatory: a seamless balance between tannin and acid, savory and sweet, refreshing and satisfying.”

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