Jules d’Airoles

‘Jules d’Airoles’ is an old French winter pear, particularly well suited to compact trained trees and espaliers thanks to the quality of its fruit and its good storage potential.

The pear is generally small to medium-sized, although larger fruit can be obtained when the crop is properly thinned. Its shape is elongated, irregular and slightly knobbly. The smooth skin turns orange-yellow when ripe, sometimes with bronze tones and a light red blush on the sun-exposed side.

The creamy-white flesh is fine, juicy and semi-melting. Its flavour is richly sweet, slightly acidic and pleasantly aromatic, with a subtle muscat note. The fruit develops its best qualities after several weeks in storage.

Harvest takes place around mid-October. The pears should then be stored in a cool place and are mainly eaten from late November through December, sometimes later under good storage conditions.

The tree has moderate vigour and produces numerous small shoots. Thorough fruit thinning is recommended to obtain fruit of a satisfactory size. The short fruiting shoots carrying much of the crop should be preserved when pruning. The variety prefers fairly heavy soils and sheltered positions, as the fruit may fall prematurely in light, dry ground. It has good compatibility with quince. Its late flowering and poor-quality pollen require compatible diploid varieties flowering at the same time.