The Dabinett Apple

[Andrew Lea]

> Least it wasn't "Dabinette" Andrew ;-)

Just for the record, then, Dabinett is not a French apple as many people suppose. So it is not written Dabinet and pronounced "Dabinay" as many people seem to want to do. Nor is it written Dabinette.

According to Liz Copas it was originally a seedling (maybe of Chisel Jersey) from Middle Lambrook in Somerset which was found in the 19th century by a local farmer by the name of William Dabinett. It was propagated and distributed by a local nurseryman Charles Porter of East Lambrook, who was also responsible for introducing Porter's Perfection.

It is true that some well known UK cider apples are of definite French origin. Notable amongst those are Vilberie and Michelin which were introduced by the Woolhope Club of Hereford after a research trip to Normandy in the 1880s. But Dabinett is not one of them.

Andrew

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[michael....@yahoo.co.uk]

How does the ripening of your Dabinett in Oxfordshire compare with your Medaille d'or?

Michael

[Andrew Lea]

On 12/08/2015 10:13, michael.ibbotson via Cider Workshop wrote:
> How does the ripening of your Dabinett in Oxfordshire compare with your
> Medaille d'or?

In terms of harvest date there isn't much between them. They drop at
much the same time. Typically I'll gather them both off the floor some
time in early to mid November, depending on the season. Maybe Dabinett
is just a little later. MdO does seem to shed its fruit readily and all
at one time, while some Dabinett fruits can hang on the tree for quite a
while unless seriously shaken, so its harvest period is more protracted.

In terms of true ripeness, judged by starch conversion and fruit
condition, Dabinett seems to take longer to give a negative starch test,
while MdO is negative pretty much immediately. Sometimes it's well into
December until the Dabinetts are pressed (even January on occasion).
Dabinett fruit is quite robust while the structure of Medaille d'Or
fruit seems less firm somehow, more open and cellular, and they seem to
me more prone to rot in store than Dabinett. Typically I mill and press
MdO fairly soon after harvest, while Dabinett will store several weeks.

But YMMV. This could all be a consequence of my thin limestone soil, a
long way from ideal for most cider varieties.

Andrew

--
near Oxford, UK

[michael....@yahoo.co.uk]

Thanks for that reply,Andrew.

I am also on thin limestone soil in Herefordshire (S.slope of The Woolhope Dome) and your comment of Dabinett hanging on the tree rather a long time and Medaille d'or falling completely with little effort,is also my experience there.

My real interest in seeking this information is because I am in the final stages of transferring my cider varieties(by top grafting) from my S.facing orchard on thin limestone in Herefordshire to my S.facing allotment on sandy soil in Cheshire.

I am trying to establish whether my Cheshire site is too late for the late bittersweets.My experience is that all of my dessert apple varieties crop well every season,and none fail to ripen well.,so it is a pretty good site.

Another point of interest to me is that Oxfordshire could have a climate comparable to Cheshire,so I am encouraged that your Medaille d'or ripens well by early November.

Michael

On Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 1:16:01 PM UTC+1, Andrew Lea wrote:

[Thomas Fehige]

Once we're at it, please, for a foreigner: Stress on the first syllable, isn't it? /ˈdæbɪnət/ like "cabinet" -- right?

Cheers -- Thomas

[Andrew Lea]

I'd say the stresses on the first and third syllable are about equal, with maybe a bit more on the third. It probably varies depending on who you talk to. I've heard both. In practice in the UK you most often hear the short form "Dabs" and everyone knows what you mean. Likewise "Mich" and "Yarly". Like any trade, shorthand terms are common amongst cider makers. 

There are quite a lot of Dabinett families in the Somerset area and you'd have to ask them how their name ought to be pronounced really! 

Andrew

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

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