“Calvilla Bianca d’Inverno” Apple

The “Calvilla Bianca d’Inverno” apple is a very ancient variety, belonging to the Calville family, very renowned in the past and spread in all temperate climate areas of Europe. It seems that this apple comes from Wüttemberg (Germany) where it was known before 1598, and from there it passed to Switzerland and then to France, taking the final name of Calvilla, from the name of Calleville, a locality in the Eure Department. It was mentioned in the garden of Louis XIII in 1626. It was recommended by the German pomologists’ congress in Potsdam in 1878 among the 10 best varieties and then by the Breslau congress in 1893. In France, besides the Pomological Congress, it was recommended by the Horticultural Societies of Grenoble, Montmorency, Niori, Senlis, Versailles, and many others.

Tree and Flowers

The “Calvilla Bianca d’Inverno” apple is a variety that prefers temperate climate areas (from the vineyard up to 700 m above sea level) as it is sensitive to cold. The tree, of medium vigor, has an expansive habit. Productivity is sufficient and is concentrated on spurs and brindles.

Flowering occurs early, around the second-third week of April. Compared to Golden cl. B, flowering starts 5 days earlier and ends 5 days earlier, with an average duration of 13 days. The flower buds just before opening are purplish-red, gathered in clusters of 6 flowers.

The flowers are medium-large in size (corolla diameter 4.7-5.0 cm) and flat in shape. The petals are overlapping, white with pink shading.

Characteristics of the “Calvilla Bianca d’Inverno” Apple

Fruit
The fruits are short truncated-conical in shape, asymmetric, with a ribbed transverse profile.
On vigorous rootstocks, the fruits are medium-large (205 g; height: 67 mm; diameter: 82 mm), while on weak rootstocks and in suitable areas they reach very large sizes (270 g; height: 78 mm; diameter: 88 mm; specific weight 0.79).

The skin is smooth, thin (0.14 mm), pruinose, with russeting at the stem cavity and sparse, large but inconspicuous lenticels. Yellow-green in color, it has a red-orange blush on the sun-exposed area that can extend up to 20% of the surface.

Flesh
The flesh is creamy-white, coarse, initially firm, but then tender, with high juiciness. Sweet, pleasantly tart, with a lingering aroma. It has a vitamin C content of 31.8 mg/100 g of fruit.

Characteristics of the juice at harvest:

• pH 3.1; acidity 35 meq/l;
• Brix 14.9°;

Characteristics of the juice at physiological maturity:

• pH 3.7; acidity 80 meq/l;
• Brix 14.8°.

The core is large (47 mm), heart-shaped, hollow with closed locules. The number of seeds per fruit is quite variable, averaging 7, large (length: 8.9 mm; width: 5.0 mm), oval-elongated, chestnut in color.

Harvest Period

Harvest occurs in mid-late season, around the third decade of September or the first of October. Pre-harvest drop is scarce.