Red Winter Calville
AppleRed Winter Calville
Origin/History
Red Winter Calville is an old French variety, described by Bunyard as "one of the oldest varieties," known in France since 1600. Coxe noted that the apple "is much celebrated for its excellence by the French writers," though he found that in America it "does not appear... to merit so high a reputation as it has acquired in France." Elliott classed it simply as "Foreign." Downing, writing in 1900, considered it "quite superseded," and Bunyard, in 1920, judged it "hardly worthy of cultivation nowadays."
Tree
Bunyard describes the growth as compact and the tree as very fertile. The leaf is large, pale, upfolded, undulating, and variable, with serration ranging from finely to coarsely serrate. Coxe notes among the variety's chief merits that it bears abundantly. Other tree characteristics (bark, twigs, lenticels, buds, vigor) are not described in the sources.
Fruit
Size: Sources broadly agree on a medium fruit. Coxe gives "about middling"; Downing, "medium"; Bunyard, "medium," with a measurement of 2¾ by 2¾ inches. Elliott gives "above medium."
Form: Sources describe a roundish fruit with some variation. Coxe calls the form "rather round, flattened at the stalk." Downing gives "roundish conic, ribbed." Elliott gives "roundish oblong." Bunyard describes it as "round, conical, irregular."
Stem: Coxe describes the stem as "short and thick." Bunyard, in contrast, describes it as "long and thin." (Sources disagree on stem length and thickness.)
Cavity: Bunyard describes a "very deep cavity" in which the stem is set. Coxe notes that the fruit is "flattened at the stalk." Not otherwise described.
Calyx/Eye: Bunyard reports the eye "usually closed."
Basin: Bunyard describes the basin as "deep and wide." Not otherwise described.
Skin/Color: Coxe describes the skin as smooth, the color "dark, covered with a white down, which, when rubbed off, leaves a clear and almost black red." Downing gives "pale and dark red." Elliott gives "pale red, dark red in sun." Bunyard describes the color as "greenish-yellow, almost covered with dark crimson flush." Sources consistently report a fruit largely covered in dark red, deepest where exposed to the sun, over a paler (greenish-yellow to pale red) ground.
Flesh/Flavor: Sources agree the flesh is tender (Coxe: "white, sprightly, and juicy"; Downing: "tender"; Elliott: "tender"; Bunyard: "crisp, white with occasional red touches, juicy"). Coxe notes it is sprightly and juicy "but not rich." Downing gives the flavor as "mild subacid" and rates the quality "Poor." Elliott likewise rates the flesh "poor." Bunyard gives the flesh as juicy and sub-acid.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
Coxe states it "ripens in November, and keeps well through the Winter." Downing gives the season as November to February. Elliott gives "November, February." Bunyard gives December to March. Coxe specifically counts keeping well among the variety's greatest merits.
Uses
Bunyard classes the variety as culinary. Coxe emphasizes its merits of bearing abundantly and keeping well.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Bunyard cites the variety in Verger, IV., 76, and gives the French name as Calville Rouge and the German name as Roter Winter Calville. Downing appends a query to one of the variety's listed names, "Cushman's Black ?", indicating uncertainty about that identification.
Book Sources
Described in 4 period pomological works
- Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817) — listed as Red Calville
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920) — listed as CALVILLE ROUGE D'HIVER
- Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865) — listed as Red Calville
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 10 catalogs (1884–1900) from California, England
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1884 — listed as Calville Rouge
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1888 — listed as Calville Rouge d'Hiver
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1889 — listed as Calville Rouge d'Hiver
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1890 — listed as Calville Rouge d'Hiver
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1891 — listed as Calville Rouge d'Hiver
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1894 — listed as Calville Rouge d'Hiver
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1895 — listed as Calville Rouge d'Hiver
- Felix Gillet , Barren Hill Nursery, Nevada City , California — 1897 — listed as Calville Rouge d'Hiver
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900 — listed as Calville Rouge
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Calville Rouge
View original book sources (4)
— William Coxe, A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees (1817)NO. 62. RED CALVILLE.
The size of this apple is about middling; the form rather round, flattened at the stalk—the stem short and thick; the skin smooth; the colour dark, covered with a white down, which, when rubbed off, leaves a clear and almost black red: the flesh white, sprightly, and juicy, but not rich—it ripens in November, and keeps well through the Winter.
This apple is much celebrated for its excellence by the French writers, but does not appear in this country to merit so high a reputation as it has acquired in France; its greatest merits are those of bearing abundantly, and keeping well.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Red Winter Calville.
Calville Royale d'Hiver. Calville Rouge d'Hiver. Calville Rouge Normande. Calville Rouge d'Anjou. Calville Rouge. Sanguinole. Caillot Rosat. Red Calville. Calville vraie des Allemands. Cushman's Black ?
An old French variety, quite superseded.
Fruit medium, roundish conic, ribbed, pale and dark red. Flesh tender, mild subacid. Poor. November to February.
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Red Calville. Red Winter Calville, | Calville Rouge, Calville Rouge d'Hiver, | Spice, of some, West. Foreign. Above medium, roundish oblong, pale red, dark red in sun ; flesh, tender, poor. November, February.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)CALVILLE ROUGE D'HIVER. Verger, IV., 76. F., Calville Rouge; G., Roter Winter Calville. (Passe Pomme d'Hiver.) Culinary, December to March, medium, 2¾ by 2¾, round, conical, irregular. Colour, greenish-yellow, almost covered with dark crimson flush. Flesh, crisp, white with occasional red touches, juicy, sub-acid. Leaf, large, pale, upfolded, undulating, variable, finely to coarsely serrate. Eye, usually closed in a deep and wide basin. Stem, long and thin in a very deep cavity. Growth, compact; very fertile. Origin, one of the oldest varieties. Known in France, since 1600. Hardly worthy of cultivation nowadays.