Armagnac cider apple trees
Malus domestica - Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
- Flowering group: 3
Armagnac is a traditional French cider apple. The apples are quite small, with a bright yellow skin, often covered with areas of russet.
The apples ripen in early October and can either be harvested then or left to fall naturally from the tree. The apples are usually stored for a short period and then pressed in December. Armagnac is usually classified as a sharp cider apple and it is a good choice for adding an acidic component to cider blends.
Armagnac originates from the Seine-Maritime department of Normandie, one of the traditional cider-producing areas of France.
Armagnac organic cider apple trees for sale
Next deliveries: December 2025
11 yeartree on M9 rootstock28.00€Small tree
(1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
Bare-root
Sold-out
21 yeartree on M116 rootstock29.25€Medium tree
(2m-3.5m after 10 years)
Bare-root 31 yeartree on MM111 rootstock28.00€Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Bare-root
Sold-out
41 yeartree on Bittenfelder rootstock28.00€Very large tree
(5m-6m+ after 10 years)
Bare-root
EU delivery countries
Click here to view estimated delivery charges.
Armagnac characteristics
- Gardening skillAverage
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Disease resistanceAverage
- Picking periodlate Septemberearly October
- Picking seasonLate
- Season of use1-2 months
- Food usesHard cider
- USDA cold hardyZone 7 (-18C)
- Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
- Country of originFrance
- Flower colourWhite
- Fruit colourRussetYellow
More about cider apple trees
Cider production in Europe is traditionally associated with three main regions - Asturias in north west Spain, Bretagne and Normandie in north west France, and the "west country" area of south-west England. These regions all face the Atlantic ocean and have cool temperate maritime climates.
Cider can of course be made with any variety of apples, but in these three regions apple varieties have evolved which are specifically intended for cider production - they have high levels of tannins which give "body" to the resulting cider, but which make them very unpalatable to eat fresh.
Good quality cider is almost always made with a blend of different apple varieties, using bitter, sweet, and sharp flavour components. It is quite common to mix in regular cooking and dessert apples to lend extra flavours.
If you are in an area with a hotter continental climate (with average summer maximum temperatures routinely over 30C) then you might want to consider using apple varieties that can withstand warmer temperatures, but still have good juice qualities. In this case rather than using European varieties you might want to seek inspiration from the very different "hard cider" traditions of North America, where dessert and crab-apples are widely used.
We have a good range of traditional English and French cider varieties, as well as a number of mainstream apple varieties with good juice qualities that lend themselves to cider production.
