Wealthy apple for Cider?

[phug]

Does anyone know which category of cider apples the wealthy apple falls under?

My FIL just bought a wealthy apple tree to plant up at our cottage. I'm wondering how it will turn out. It's a cross with half coming from a siberian crab. Good up to zone 2, and our place is on the edge between zone 3 and 4.

Dwarf rootstock I guess since he says it should get to about 12 feet.

I'm thinking it might be high acid, and high sweetness. Supposedly it makes a tart and tasty pie or sauce.

I'm just hoping that I don't have major issues with cedar apple rust. Lots of cedar up in the area where it will be planted. LOTS.

 

[dmtaylor]

I think Wealthy falls right in between a sweet and sharp apple. It's well balanced and wonderful in cider.

If your tree is half crab, though, it might turn out much different. No way of knowing how a daughter apple tree will turn out. Just like people having children, the children of two apple trees are never exactly alike each other or their parents. I agree I would expect high acid and high sweetness, but you really won't know until you taste it.

Cheers and good luck. You can enjoy a cider from just about any apple, this one should be no different except possibly on the tart side, maybe, don't know yet.

 

[phug]

Thanks DM.

What I meant is that the wealthy apple is the result of a cross with a Siberian crab. Likely why it handles the cold so well.

 

[LeBreton]

As DM said, it lies between sweet and sharp in terms of classification. However, apples from my orchard are a little low in sugar to be ideal for cider. 8-9 brix is typical since it's such an early variety. At home right now so I don't have numbers on acid.

Did a SV fermentation with Wealthy from the 2015 harvest. I'd call it meh to OK at best since it ended up tart and and a on the thin side. Blended it with a bigger batch of some type of early McIntosh sport blend and it was good enough to bottle.

I'd suggest you leave it on the tree as long as possible to maximize sugar content.