Variety Library

Isle of Wight

Bittersweet · 2 trees planted · confidence medium

OriginFrance/England - Isle of Wight, introduced from Normandy in 1817 but older in origin
Bloom group1 (1 early … 5 late)
HarvestPicked late; ripens December-January and stores at least to March in Isle of Wight records. No WSU harvest date recorded.
Aciditylow
Tanninmedium

Almost certainly Isle of Wight Pippin, which WSU Mount Vernon holds on G935 and classifies as a bittersweet cider apple of France/England origin - confirming the orchard's record of it as a cider variety. Smallish flat fruit, yellow with an orange flush and some russet, green-tinged flesh, slightly sweet with good bouquet; it flowers early but matures very late. WSU has recorded no juice chemistry, bloom date, harvest date or sensory evaluation for it, so the trial entry establishes identity and class but nothing quantitative.

Disease: Very resistant to canker and mildew (Isle of Wight records). No WSU disease observations recorded.

Discrepancies: Classification: WSU lists it as bittersweet; the Isle of Wight variety records describe it purely as a late-storing dessert apple. Recommend BSW per WSU, which is the higher-priority source and matches the orchard's own use. Acidity low and tannin medium are inferred from that bittersweet classification (>0.20% tannin, <0.45% acid), not measured - no juice analysis exists for this cultivar. Bloom group 1 comes from the Isle of Wight description of early flowering; WSU has no bloom date.

Sources

  • cider.wsu.edu/ciderweb/
  • suttonelms.org.uk/apple50.html