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Sops Of Wine

Apple
USDA watercolor illustration of Sops Of Wine

USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Origin/History

An old European variety, with references traced back to Ray (1688) and Knoop (1758). Beach (1905) provides an extensive bibliography spanning over two centuries of pomological literature, from Ray through Budd-Hansen (1903).

Tree

Vigorous and productive, coming into bearing rather young. Beach (1905) notes it is a biennial or nearly annual cropper. Warder (1867) describes the habit as spreading, while Downing (1900) describes it as upright. Elliott (1865) similarly characterizes it as a vigorous early bearer.

Fruit

Size: Small to medium (Warder, Elliott) to medium (Downing).

Form: Roundish, slightly conic, regular (Warder). Downing and Elliott describe it simply as roundish.

Stem: Warder (1867) describes the stem as long and red. Downing (1900) describes it as slender, set in a narrow cavity. Elliott (1865) describes it as short and slender — conflicting with Warder on length.

Cavity: Warder describes the cavity as medium, wavy, somewhat browned. Downing describes it as narrow.

Calyx: Closed. Elliott (1865) notes the calyx has broad segments.

Basin: Shallow. Warder (1867) describes it as plaited; Downing (1900) as rather shallow and uneven; Elliott (1865) as slightly furrowed.

Skin: A dark crimson apple overall (Beach). Warder describes the surface as smooth, mixed red, shaded dark red throughout, with small, scattered, yellow dots. Downing describes it as yellow and red, splashed and shaded with deep red, sprinkled with white and gray dots, with a thin bloom. Elliott describes it as light red, nearly covered with bright purplish red in streaks, yellowish in shade, with yellow specks and whitish bloom.

Flesh/Flavor: Fine grained, tender, stained with red or pink, mild subacid. The stained flesh is a distinguishing characteristic — Elliott (1865) notes it is "esteemed for its peculiar pink flesh, as a curiosity for dessert." Warder (1867) describes the flesh as yellow, fine grained, tender, juicy, with "acid to sub-acid, agreeable" flavor. Downing (1900) describes it as white, often stained, "not very juicy," with "mild, pleasant subacid" flavor. Elliott describes it as yellowish, stained with pink, juicy, "mild, sub-acid." Beach (1905) notes "flesh fine, stained with red." Note the conflict: Warder and Elliott call the flesh juicy, while Downing says not very juicy. Flesh color is variously described as yellow (Warder), white (Downing), and yellowish (Elliott).

Core/Seeds: Warder (1867): core distinctly marked with a red line, wide, oval, closed, meeting the eye; seeds numerous, pointed, brown. Elliott (1865) describes core and seeds as medium.

Quality: Good to very good (Warder). Downing rates it "Good." Elliott rates it "very good." Beach (1905) considers it "of little value except as a dessert apple for family use."

Season

August and September.

Uses

Dessert. Elliott (1865) notes it is "esteemed for its peculiar pink flesh, as a curiosity for dessert." Beach (1905) considers it of little value except as a dessert apple for family use.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in sources.

Other

Warder (1867) includes a figure (Fig. 233) illustrating the variety.

Beach (1905) includes a figure reference via Hoskins, Rural New York (1888).

Lowther (1914): Description absent; variety present in variety-characteristic table.

Sops of Wine (23). M fl yr G b A 9* 13* 9*

Thomas (1903): Listed at page 302; no description provided beyond the name.

Book Sources

Described in 6 period pomological works

Nursery Catalog Sources

Found in 13 catalogs (1886–1921) from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Washington

View original book sources (6)

Fig. 233.—SOPS OF WINE.

Sops of Wine.

European. Tree vigorous, spreading, productive.

Fruit small to medium, round, slightly conic, regular; Surface smooth, mixed red, shaded dark red throughout; Dots small, scattered, yellow.

Basin shallow, plaited; Eye small, closed.

Cavity medium, wavy, somewhat browned; Stem long, red.

Core distinctly marked with a red line, wide, oval, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, pointed, brown; Flesh yellow, fine grained, tender, juicy; Flavor acid to sub-acid, agreeable; Quality good to very good; Use, dessert; Season, August and September.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

Sops of Wine. Red Shropsavine ? Worden's Pie Apple. Hominy. Bell's Early ? Washington. Dodge's Early Red. Bennington. An old European variety. Tree vigorous, upright, an early and productive variety. Fruit medium, roundish, yellow and red, splashed and shaded with deep red, and sprinkled with white and gray dots, and a thin bloom. Stalk slender, in a narrow cavity. Calyx closed. Basin rather shallow, uneven. Flesh white, often stained, not very juicy, mild, pleasant subacid. Good. August, September.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

SOPS OF WINE.

REFERENCES,

  1. Ray, 1688:No. 21. 2. Knoop, 8:45. 1758. 3. Kenrick, 1832:28. 4. Ib., 1835:98. 5. Floy-Lindley, 1833:25. 6. Downing, 1845:77. 7. Cole, 1849:103. 8. Thomas, 1849:141. 9. Emmons, Nat. Hist. N. Y., 3:11, 33. 1851. 10. Barry, 1851:282. 11. Hovey, Mag. Hort., 18:545. 1852. fig. 12. Elliott, 1854:157. 13. Gregg, 1857:39. 14. Hooper, 1857:85. 15. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1862. 16. Warder, 1867:615. fig. 17. Downing, 1869:356. 18. Horticulturist, 27:309. 1872. fig. 19. Fitz, 1872:121, 174. 20. Downing, 1872:10 index, app. 21. Montreal Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1879:22. 22. Downing, 1881:11 index, app. 23. Ib., 1881:12 index, app. 24. Hogg, 1884:215. 25. Hoskins, Rural N. Y., 47:662. 1888. figs. 26. Lyon, Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 1890:296. 27. Bailey, An. Hort., 1892:249. 28. Hoskins, Rural N. Y., 53:248. 1894. 29. Burrill and McCluer, Ill. Sta. Bul., 45:325. 1896. 30. Waugh, Vt. Sta. An. Rpt., 14:309. 1901. 31. Budd-Hansen, 1903:177. fig.

SYNONYMS. Bell's Early? (17). Bell's Favorite (20). Bennington (17, 18). Dodge's Early Red (17). Early Washington (22). Hominy (17, 19). Horning (29). Pie Apple (10). Red Shropsavine† (17). RODE WYN APPEL (2). Rode Wyn Appel (5, 6, 9). SAPSON (3). Sapson (6, 9, 11, 12, 18). Sapsonvine (3). Shropshirevine (23). SOPS IN WINE (1, 24). Sops in Wine (5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18). SOPS OF WINE (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31). Sops of Wine (24). Strawberry (30). Warden's Pie Apple (17, 18). Washington (17, 18).

A dark crimson apple; flesh fine, stained with red; in season in August and September. The tree is a good grower, comes into bearing rather young and is a biennial or nearly annual cropper. Of little value except as a dessert apple for family use.

— S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 2 (1905)

Sops of Wine (23). M fl yr G b A 9* 13* 9*

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)

Sops of Wine. Sops in Wine. | Sapson. | Bennington.

Foreign. Tree, vigorous early bearer; esteemed for its peculiar pink flesh, as a curiosity for dessert. Fruit, medium or small, roundish; light red, nearly covered with bright purplish red, in streaks, yellowish in shade with yellow specks, whitish bloom; stem, short, slender; calyx, with broad segments; basin, shallow, slightly furrowed; core and seeds, medium; flesh, yellowish, stained with pink, juicy, mild, sub-acid; "very good." August to September.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Sops-of Wine, p. 302.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)
Bell's Early Bell's Favorite Bennington Dodge's Early Red Early Washington Hominy Horning Pie Apple Red Shropsavine Rode Wyn Appel Sapson Sapsonvine Shropshirevine Sops in Wine Strawberry Warden's Pie Apple Washington Worden's Pie Apple Chenango Frank Chenango Strawberry Late Strawberry Domine Champlain Holland Pippin Sweet Bough Large Bough Autumn Bough Stark Sapson Autumn Strawberry Strawberry Richard's Graft Homony Washington Strawberry Washington (Strawberry) Large Yellow Bough Bough Apple Autumn Sweet Bough Robinson Sweet Harvest