Annual Monticello apple tasting is Saturday 10/14. Seems a little early to taste late apples like Goldrush.
Another apple and cider tasting on 11/12 .
Don’t believe the tasting session will be overseen by Tom Burford this year.
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Hope Tom is in good health.
Me too!
Here are the results from last year:
Monticello Apple Tasting 2016 Results
Variety Rating 8+ ≤ 5
Ashmead’s Kernel 7.66 29 5 Favorite
Stayman 7.64 32 8
Winesap 7.50 29 9
Zabergau Reinette 7.45 29 8
Gold Rush 7.28 25 6
Roxbury Russett 7.23 23 7
Esopus Spitzenburg 6.74 19 10
Pomme Gris 6.70 23 16
Arkansas Black 6.32 16 19
Harrison 6.21 14 22
Adam’s Pearmain 6.06 15 26
Magnum Bonum 5.91 10 22
Grimes Golden 5.62 11 24
Hewes Crab 5.60 13 26
Ross Nonpareil 5.57 13 25
Summer Rambo 4.77 9 35
Total of 16 varieties
Results submitted by 52 participants
Results tallied by Jessica Bryars and Peggy Cornett
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I finally have a good crop of Winesaps this year. Good to see they are liked.
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I really like them too and they grow well in my area. I like Stayman too but they crack every year.
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I haven’t eaten one yet, not sure if they are ripe yet. Hoping they are a keeper.
Apples are ripening much earlier this year due to the warm fall, there could be some GoldRush ready. I have picked some of mine already. In fact I have picked some of all my apples except for Yates.
I picked one of my two Hoople two days ago. It is in the fridge. Have no time to try it yet.
My GR have been light green with little yellow. Probably, need to wait for them to turn mostly yellow first.
My GR are all yellow now, I let them get darker yellow. They are much better picked later.
If so, mine are a long way to go. 
Me too. Another week on the trees would have improved my GR and Winesaps but the PYO customers were ready to pick and did not leave any for next week.
I don’t believe that a tasting like the one at Monticello which compares varieties at different stages of ripeness (like Grimes and Goldrush) produces a valid picture but its fun.
Kinda weird since there’s a bunch of apples that ripen at the same time or nearly so…they don’t need to pick thes varieties that are all over the place.
Rick, do you know what the numbers mean? I assume the first number (like the 7.64 for Stayman) is the average 1-10 score that the apple was given for overall taste/likability, but I don’t know what to make of the next two numbers.
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No Ralls Genet at that tasting? (Parent of Fuji).
Interesting to see Zabergau continue to pop up in the favorites lists.
I don’t completely understand their system but the first number is the rating. The second is the number of people who rated the apple greater than 8 and the last number is the number of people who rated the apple less than 5.
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Ralls was on the list in 2014 when Tom Burford conducted the test. and it finished in second place
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