Cortland improves, McIntosh declines, in the winter

The Cortland apple has an ardent following. In September and October, I like Macs and Macouns, close Cort relations.

 Photo:McIntosh (L) and Cortland ¶ 

But lately, in February and now March, I have been enjoying Cortland's crisp vinous goodness. ¶ 

Let's see how it stacks up agains the Mac at this time of year.

McIntosh is Cortland's seed parent, so the comparison is especially apt.

Side by side

The family resemblance is palpable: two apples with a purple-tinged red blush and prominent light lenticel dots.

But Cortland's blush is deeper (at least on some samples) decorated with sparser dots. I think it may darken over time, in storage.

McIntosh is generally smaller and just a bit more ribbed.

For both, the blush is actually composed of vertical stripes, though in the most-saturated areas you have to view the apple in direct sunlight to see evidence of that. 

The unblushed regions of a Cortland can show as mostly yellow with red streaks.

Taste test

Cortland's flesh is breaking crisp, fine-grained, and white, with a sweet flavor balanced by an agreeable amount of tart. It has a strong floral quality, with vinous (as in wine) and berry notes. The apple is pleasingly juicy.

Mac's texture, a similar fine-grained white, is still crisp but has deteriorated since September. It is more tart, and its berry flavor is more prominent, along with the vinous note that is a kind of signature of the McIntosh family. 

Mac also brings a hit of spice into the game, but it lacks that floral flavor.

Alternating bites brings out more deficiencies than virtues in each, though both are really very good. Cortland comes across as candy sweet, and with a flatter flavor profile, but with a first-rate crunch.

Indeed switching amplifies my awareness of a kind of melon-candy flavor in Cortland's mix.

Switching back to the Mac exaggerates how tart it can be, though more complex flavors dwell within. Its crunch, so perfect in the fall, really lags behind Cortland's.

Judgment

This not-a-contest is probably a draw, but deserves some nuanced consideration.

I like vinous Mac-like apples year round, and seek them out regularly. My first choice, when I can get them, is Macoun, which modern storage can keep reasonably well into March.

However, Macoun has been hard to find this year. It would be nearing the end of its run in any case.

As for Mac vs Cort: There is no question that Cortland keeps better, and arguably improves, into the winter months. Especially that crunch!

I like them both.

Moar

Both Mac and Macoun soften (somewhat) and otherwise deteriorate (somewhat!) in storage, and around this time of year I sometimes turn to the durable Empire (a Mac x Delicious cross) when I miss the vinous harvest.

Some prefer Cortland with a fervor that convinced me to revisit it in the fall of 2016.

I was underwhelmed.

But today's experiment shows that there is always something new to learn about an apple.

If you are a Cortland aficionado, you may also enjoy many of the apples I describe in "So you like McIntosh." They are related!

Reciepts

• McIntosh
• Cortland, and Cortland again
• Macoun
• Empire