Some of you may have seen you extolling the virtues of Novamac around here. What I really love about it is the white wine flavour that dominates its flavour profile, and has got me wondering if this is something found in many other apples.
I know there are a number of apples with wine in the name (Winesap, Tangowine, Winekist, etc), but does anyone have enough experience with any of them to speak on their flavour profiles? Online and even printed resources are surprising light in details.
What do you mean by wine flavor? Basically what makes either a grape suitable for wine or an apple suitable for hard cider is the correct acidity and tannic profile. Are you referring to that or to a more finished taste of wine?
Also, I take it you are talking about apples to eat off hand? I ask because you should probably look into cider apples where a bunch are found with distinct flavors, but some are not exactly table apples. In specific look for apples in the bittersweet category.
Iām referring to the appleās taste resembling wine when eaten as a dessert apple, nothing to do with cider. Novamacās main flavour is sweet white wine when eaten fresh.
It has to do with cider in as much as what makes apples suitable for hard cider is what makes grapes suitable for wine; tannins and acidity. Most table apples are not bold enough to give you that so if you want wine-like qualities, look at the bittersweet category of cider apples. There is a good chance that what you feel is wine-like qualities are the tannins.
āKerrā crab has, to my palate, a musky wine flavor note. More tartness and tannins than itās half-sib, āCentennialā (both have āDolgoā as a parent).
The juice drops bright red. As an interesting note my daughter who doesnāt care for sweet cider loves it and was not able to tell it was apple cider.
For some reason I am unable to detect a wine flavor in the so called vinous apples. Winesap, spy, Arkansas black are all supposed to be vinous but not to me.
I have a refined palate for the British spicy complex type apples though.
Interesting to hear that about MacIntosh, I would say that overall its flavour is just āgreenā rather than vinous in any way, whereas Novamacās flavour is extremely similar to white wine. Thanks for the tip on Mancoun and Spigold!
