Our Variety Assessment

Its strengths, growing requirements and the conditions in which it performs best.

Pomme Poire is an old apple from the Boulonnais region, also known as Zoete Reinette or Pomme d’Orange. Its sweet, mildly sharp and aromatic fruit can be used for cider or fresh eating. In cider blends it mainly contributes sweetness and fruit. Several distinct European apples share this name, making the clearly identified regional provenance of this accession particularly valuable.

Zoete Reinette (Pomme Poire)

Price range: 26,50 € through 59,75 €

A traditional French cider apple from Northern France. A very sweet variety with excellent keeping qualities, valued for producing rich, mellow ciders and also suitable for cooking.

Choose your tree form

1 year old grafted tree – approx. 1–2 m

Half-standard – 1 to 1.5 m stem

Standard tree – 1.8 m stem and over

Apple rootstock options

Bittenfelder – approx. 6 m mature height

EM9 – approx. 2.5 m mature height

M116 – approx. 4 m mature height

MM111 – approx. 4 m mature height

Clear

Tree size guide

Tree Establishment Guarantee — We support you if your tree fails to establish. View the conditions

SKU: 29214 Categories: Apple trees, Cider apple trees

Description

Pomme Poire, Zoete Reinette is an old French cider apple that originated in the Netherlands before becoming widely established in Northern France, where it has been grown for centuries in traditional orchards.

Its small fruits are exceptionally sweet, with very low acidity, making them an excellent component for cider blends that require body, sweetness and balance. The apples are harvested in early October but keep remarkably well, allowing pressing from late autumn through winter.

Although primarily grown as a cider apple, Pomme Poire can also be used for cooking thanks to its firm flesh and good storage life. The tree is productive and reliable, making it an excellent choice for anyone wishing to grow traditional cider apples or preserve historic European fruit varieties.

Variety characteristics

Variety origin

An old Dutch dessert and cider apple that has been cultivated for centuries in the Low Countries and Northern France, where it became valued for its sweet fruit and excellent keeping qualities.

Origin

Netherlands

Period of origin

USDA zone

Zone 7 (-18C)

Flowering

5 - very late

Harvest period

October 1-15

Eating / keeping period

Use

Disease resistance

Self-fertility

Pollinator value

Ploidy

Origin and identity

Parentage

Unknown.

Synonyms

Sweet Reinette, Pomme Poire (in parts of Northern France, where the names are often used interchangeably), Pomme d’Orange.

Growth and adaptation

Vigour and habit

Vigorous tree with a broad, spreading habit. Hardy, long-lived and productive, it performs well in traditional orchards and develops a strong framework with age.