Winnal's Longdon is a traditional English perry pear, used for making perry (pear cider). It is a heavy-cropping perry pear which produces a low tannin perry. The pears are small and greenish-yellow.
Next deliveries: December 2024 - February 2025
Winnal's Longdon is easy to grow, and can be pollinated by many other European pear varieties, including Beth, Conference, Comice, and Louise Bonne.
The main issue is a tendency to biennial bearing - you can prevent this by making sure you thin the fruitlets in late May, especially if there has been a heavy fruit set.
Winnal's Longdon was raised by Mr Winnal of Woodfield in the county of Herefordshire in the west of England in the 1790s.
Perry is a traditional drink made from fermented pear juice, and in recent years has enjoyed a resurgence in interest, along with its cousin cider. Perry is now sometimes called pear cider and although this is incorrect, the term seems to have made it more accessible to consumers.
As with cider apples, perry pears are used specifically for the qualities of their juice and are not usually eaten fresh.
Perry pears are closely related to mainstream pears, and will cross-polinate with them, and both are classified in the species Pyrus communis. However it is likely that perry pears are a distinct sub-species.
If grown on seedling rootstocks perry pears can be very long-lived, as well as growing to a considerable height and spread.
Perry production has a very long history in England and France, although with different methods of production.
This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2024.