Michelin cider apple trees

(Normandie Blanc)

• Check pollinators >

• Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile
• Flowering group: 4

Michelin, also known as Normandie Blanc, is a traditional French cider apple variety producing a bittersweet juice.

Cider apple varieties tend to remain in use primarily in their area of origin but Michelin was imported to England in the 19th century and as a result has become popular in English-speaking cider regions as well.

Michelin organic cider apple trees for sale

Next deliveries: January - February 2025

• 11 yeartree on M9 rootstock25.25€
  Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years) Bare-root
  

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• 21 yeartree on M116 rootstock25.95€
  Medium tree (2m-3.5m after 10 years) Bare-root
  

  Sold-out
• 31 yeartree on MM111 rootstock25.25€
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years) Bare-root
  

  Sold-out

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If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.

Growing and Training

Michelin is a reliable annual cropper, easy to grow. It is usually considered self-sterile but in practice seems to be partially self-fertile.

History

Michelin originates from the traditional French cider-producing area of Normandy, where it is known as Normandie Blanc on account of the pale colour of the apples and juice. It was first discovered in the 18th century and is now also a popular hard cider variety in England and the USA.

Michelin characteristics

• Gardening skillBeginner
• Self-fertilityPartially self-fertile
• Flowering group4
• Disease resistanceAverage
• Picking seasonLate
• Season of use2-3 weeks
• Food usesHard cider
• Cold hardiness (USDA)Zone 4 (-34C)
• Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
• Country of originFrance
• Period of origin1750 - 1799
• Fruit colourGreen - light

Similar varieties

• 
  Dabinett
  Dabinett is a traditional English cider apple variety, producing a bittersweet juice.
• 
  Du Verger
  Du Verger is an old French bittersweet cider apple variety.
• 
  Kingston Black
  Kingston Black is one of the premier English cider varieties and produces a bittersharp juice.
• 
  Wickson Crab
  Wickson crab is a popular American hard-cider variety.

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.