Our Variety Assessment

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

Durondeau is a characterful pear, considerably more expressive than cultivars offering sweetness alone. Its bronze-coloured skin protects exceptionally juicy flesh in which sugar, acidity and wine-like aromas form an attractive balance. The tree is vigorous and fertile. Storage life is relatively short, and ripeness requires attention, as fruit picked too early may retain a slight trace of astringency.

Beurré Durondeau

Price range: 26,50 € through 59,75 €

A distinctive Belgian pear with large, juicy, sweet-sharp and aromatic fruit, particularly well suited to northern climates.

Choose your tree form

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

Half-standard – 1 to 1.5 m stem

Low-stem tree – approx. 60 cm stem

Standard tree – 1.8 m stem and over

Pear rootstock options

Farold 87 - approx 4.5m mature height

Kirchensaller – approx. 6 m mature height

Pyrodwarf – approx. 4 m mature height

Quince BA29 – approx. 3 m mature height

Quince BA29 with Comice interstem – approx. 3 m mature height

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Tree size guide

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SKU: 29591 Categories: Dessert pear trees, Pear trees

Description

‘Beurré Durondeau’, often known simply as ‘Durondeau’, is an old Belgian variety renowned for the distinctive and particularly expressive flavour of its fruit.

The pear is large to very large, broad, slightly elongated and often finely knobbled. Its thick skin is initially dark green, turning bronze yellow when ripe. It is extensively mottled with russet and may develop a carmine-red blush on the side exposed to the sun.

The white flesh is firm and slightly crisp at the beginning of ripeness, then becomes semi-melting and very juicy. Its flavour is richly sweet, pleasantly acidic, vinous and aromatic, sometimes with a slight astringency that gives it considerable character.

Harvest generally takes place during the second half of September and may continue into early October in cooler locations. The fruit then ripens gradually and is mainly eaten during October, with natural storage possible until early November.

The tree is moderately to strongly vigorous, highly fertile and regularly productive. It has very good compatibility with quince and is particularly suitable for compact and trained forms. However, the variety is highly susceptible to scab, especially on the shoots, so an open, sunny position sheltered from prevailing rain is preferable.