Raud Gravenstein

We suspect there aren't too many Norwegians who haven't heard of this one.

Red Gravenstein may well be the most famous apple variety in Norway – at least among those we can actually grow here. Pink Lady can keep the international celebrity title; here in Hardanger, Gravenstein is one of the true classics.

Gravenstein was planted in Hardanger as early as 1792 and has been a cornerstone of apple production in the region ever since. Generations have grown up with it, and over the centuries the variety has established a position that has proven remarkably difficult to challenge.

Over the years, more than one enthusiastic player in the retail business has decided that surely the time has come to replace this old classic with something newer and more modern.

That hasn't always gone entirely according to plan.

Because customers still want Gravenstein. In fact, sometimes it almost seems as though the people trying to remove the variety disappear before the apple does. :D

Historically, Gravenstein was also an important apple for storage through autumn and into winter, and the variety has good keeping qualities. But it is the experience of eating one fresh that really explains why people keep asking for it.

The apples are large, wonderfully crisp and packed with fresh acidity and classic apple aroma. And juicy?

So juicy that biting into one without first considering where all that apple juice is going to end up should almost be illegal.

That powerful flavour and abundance of juice also make Gravenstein an outstanding apple for juice and cider-style apple pressing. It is equally at home being eaten straight from the tree or pressed into a bottle.

Its exact origin is uncertain, but the traditional story traces Gravenstein back several centuries to the area around Gråsten in southern Denmark. Both yellow and red forms exist – but here we are talking about the red one.

New apple varieties appear all the time. Some stay. Others quietly disappear again.

Gravenstein?

It appears to be immortal.

- Wonderfully crisp and exceptionally juicy
- Plenty of fresh acidity and classic apple aroma
- Large fruit and good yields
- Excellent both for apple juice and fresh eating
- One of the true classics of Norwegian apple growing
- Immortal