Winter Gray Reinette

Origin/History

Winter Gray Reinette is a variety of great antiquity, recorded in France as early as the sixteenth century, which is regarded as its country of origin (Bunyard). It is known among French writers by numerous names and is held in high esteem by French pomologists; Coxe notes that it "is described as an apple of superior excellence by the French writers," though he found it less impressive in American cultivation. Downing acknowledges profound taxonomic difficulty: "Among the Reinettes there is a world of confusion, and we feel no confidence in correctness until such time as they may be gathered and grown all in the same grounds." His primary description is taken from Hogg, but he records three substantially different fruit profiles under this name — drawn from Hogg, from a specimen received from Rivers, and from the Album of Pomology — suggesting that more than one distinct variety may have traveled under the Winter Gray Reinette name at various times.

Tree

Tree healthy, vigorous, and productive (Downing). Growth vigorous; fertile (Bunyard).

Not described in source (Coxe).

Fruit

Size

Sources disagree markedly on size. Coxe describes the fruit as below middling. Downing's primary account (from Hogg) gives medium. A specimen received from Rivers, described separately by Downing, is small. The Album of Pomology, as cited by Downing, describes a Winter Gray Reinette as large. Bunyard gives medium, with approximate dimensions of 2 inches by 2 inches.

Form

Coxe: flat, with a small hollow at each end. Downing (from Hogg): roundish, flattened on the sides, broadest at the base. Downing (Rivers specimen): oblate, depressed. Bunyard: oblong-round, regular.

Stem

Downing (from Hogg): stalk very short. Downing (Rivers specimen): stalk long and slender. Bunyard: stem short, set in a very deep cavity.

Cavity

Bunyard: very deep. Not described in other sources.

Calyx

Downing (both the Hogg description and the Rivers specimen): calyx closed. Bunyard: eye closed.

Basin

Bunyard: rather deep. Not described in other sources.

Skin

Coxe: thick and rough, with some russet; sometimes a bright yellow, with some red in spots. Downing (from Hogg): dull yellowish green in the shade, with a patch of thin dull brownish red in the sun; the sun-exposed side is so covered with brown russet that little color is visible. Downing (Rivers specimen): dull yellowish gray russet overall, with indistinct raised dots. Downing (Album of Pomology): dull pale yellow, overlaid with dull greenish russet. Bunyard: yellowish-green with a dull red flush, the surface covered with russet.

Flesh and Flavor

Coxe: flesh firm and of a yellowish white; juice abundant, sweet, and sprightly. Downing (from Hogg): flesh yellow, firm, crisp, rich, juicy, sugary. Downing (Rivers specimen): flesh whitish, firm, moderately juicy, rich, brisk subacid; rated Good. Bunyard: flesh crisp, yellow, aromatic. Bunyard characterizes the variety as "an apple of excellent quality."

Coxe and the Hogg account agree on firmness and yellowish flesh color; the Rivers specimen yields whitish flesh with a subacid rather than sugary character.

Core and Seeds

Not described in source.

Season

Coxe: ripens at the beginning of winter and keeps late into the spring. Downing (from Hogg): November to May. Downing (Rivers specimen): December to May. Bunyard: dessert use through March.

Uses

Bunyard classifies Winter Gray Reinette as a dessert apple. Downing's account implies dessert use by the descriptions of richness and flavor quality. Coxe notes the juice abundant, sweet, and sprightly, suggesting table or dessert use. Extended keeping season (into spring) implies storage value.

Subtypes/Variants

Downing records three distinct fruit profiles under the name Winter Gray Reinette, suggesting either significant varietal confusion or genuine clonal variation:

1. From Hogg: medium, roundish, flattened on the sides, broadest at base, dull yellowish green with brownish red patch and heavy brown russet on sun side; stalk very short; flesh yellow, firm, crisp, rich, juicy, sugary; November to May.

2. Rivers specimen: small, oblate, depressed, dull yellowish gray russet with indistinct raised dots; stalk long and slender; flesh whitish, firm, moderately juicy, rich, brisk subacid; December to May. Rated Good.

3. Album of Pomology: large, roundish, dull pale yellow overlaid with dull greenish russet. No flesh description given.

Other

Downing includes, as entries elsewhere in the same volume, two related names with overlapping synonymy:

Grey Reinette (Downing, pp. 229): Described as an old French apple, medium, roundish, yellowish green with brownish red in the sun; flesh yellow, firm, crisp, brisk subacid; season November to February. The synonyms Downing assigns substantially overlap with those he assigns to Winter Gray Reinette, consistent with his note about Reinette confusion.

Haute Bonté (Downing, pp. 237): Described separately as an old French dessert apple, with synonym "Reinette grise haute bonté." Fruit medium, roundish, ribbed, yellow with a faint tinge of red in the sun; flesh greenish white, tender, juicy, brisk subacid; December to February. Downing treats this as a distinct variety, though its synonymy places it within the Reinette Grise complex.