Cripps Red (Sundowner; Joya)

Cripps Red is a late season variety from the same stable as Pink Lady in Western Australia. It doesn’t look as pretty, but many think it has better eating quality due to the good balance of sweetness to acidity that gives it a more interesting flavour than Pink Lady. The flesh is crisp and dense, slightly coarser than Pink Lady, and very juicy, with an attractive spongy quality in the chewing and mouth-feel.

Cripps Red is a red-blushed apple as opposed to the pink it’s more famous cousin, but it is still an attractive looking fruit with distinctive white lenticels usually being present. With a bit of storage, the sweetness of this apple improves and the acids drop a little, so it is often not sold immediately after harvest.

The density of Cripps Red means it is a good cooking apple as it holds it’s shape.

Cripps Red has some susceptibility to Fire Blight.

Good Fruit Guide Rating: ****

Cripps Red will be enjoyed for its strong textite and  good acidity balanced by high levels of sweetness.

Tangy, sweet, dense

Names: Cripps Red; Sundowner^®; Joya^®

Origin: Cripps Red was bred by Prof. John Cripps in 1973, at the Stoneville Research Station, Western Australia. The variety resulted from a cross between Lady Williams and Golden Delicious. The original marketing name for Cripps Red was Sundowner^® , a licensed variety name, but has also been called Joya^® in various markets. In the UK, it is most often sold under its original varietal name: Cripps Red.

Grown in: Cripps Red  needs a long growing season with good heat units, so is restricted to warmer growing areas such as Western Australia, South Africa, Chile, USA and southern France. It also needs low-chill units, so does not need to grown where winter temperatures drop below zero.

Harvest & Availability: Supplies of Cripps Red to the UK market tend to be as follows:

• January: France
• February: France
• March: France
• April: France
• May: France
• June: France
• July: South Africa
• August: South Africa
• September: South Africa
• October: South Africa
• November: South Africa
• December: France

Websites:

Joya – ZA – Marketing in South Africa

Joya – FR – Marketing in France by Blue Whale

Sundowner – OrangePippin