Following this publication, the authorities of a Member State or of a third country, or a natural or legal person having a legitimate interest and established or resident in a third country, may lodge, in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) an opposition with the Commission within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’

EU No: PGI-SE-02969 – 21.6.2023

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Sweden

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.6. Fruit, vegetables and cereals fresh or processed

Combined nomenclature code

0808 10 – Apples

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

The protected designation ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ refers to apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) of the following varieties: Discovery, Elise, Gravensteiner, Ingrid-Marie, Rubinola and Santana, cultivated in Äppledalen.

Apples marketed under the protected designation ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ must meet the trading standards for Class 1 apples and exhibit the characteristic features of the variety concerned.

Physical characteristics

Size:

55-85 mm in diameter

Shape:

Variety	Shape
Discovery	A medium-sized apple shaped like a flattened sphere with no distinct ribbing. The circumference is round.
Elise	A large, conical/broadly oblate apple with low ridges around the calyx that continue in soft ribs across the entire fruit. The circumference is almost round and softly angular.
Gravensteiner	A large apple with a shape that varies considerably. Distinct bumps around the pistil cavity that continue as ribbing over the fruit to the stalk cavity. The circumference is angular.
Ingrid-Marie	A medium-sized apple shaped like a flattened sphere without ribbing.
Rubinola	A medium-sized rounded apple, shaped like a flattened sphere/slightly conical and with low, wide ribs that may extend down part-way across the fruit. The circumference is round/softly angular.
Santana	A medium-sized conically rounded apple with distinct, often wide ribbing extending across the fruit. The ribbing may create a certain asymmetry, with one side higher than the other. This contributes to the characteristic shape of the fruit.

Epicarp:

Variety	Characteristic
Discovery	Matt/slightly shiny skin of medium thickness and resistant to handling. Greenish-yellow/yellow background colour. The sunny side or most of the fruit has bright red colouring that varies from continuous to slightly stripey. The skin spots are small, with a green background colour, and light colouring.
Elise	Medium thickness, slightly shiny, somewhat astringent. There may be a network of rust on the surface. Faint, pleasant aroma. Greenish-yellow/yellow background colour. Most of the fruit has a continuous or slightly stripey brown-red colouring.
Gravensteiner	Thin, shiny, yellow background colour with a flame-like, stripey raspberry-pink colour on the sunny side.
Ingrid-Marie	Medium thickness, matt with a good aroma. Greenish-yellow background colour when picked, yellow when ripe. Most of the fruit is covered by an even dark red flush, with a blueish glint.
Rubinola	Medium thickness, slightly shiny. Strong, pleasant aroma. Pale greenish-yellow background colour when picked, yellow when ripe. Most of the apple has dense red stripes and spots.
Santana	Thick, slightly shiny. Becomes fat when stored. May be slightly astringent and have rust markings. Strong, pleasant aroma. Greenish-yellow/yellow background colour. Most of the fruit has a continuous warm red colouring with faint notes of darker red stripes. The skin spots in the colouring are greenish-grey.

Mesocarp:

Variety	Characteristic
Discovery	Creamy white, sometimes rosy. Crisp, juicy. Goes brown slowly.
Elise	Pale yellow, firm and then crisp, juicy. Goes slightly brown or not at all.
Gravensteiner	Creamy white with yellow streaks. Crunchy and juicy.
Ingrid-Marie	Creamy white with a more yellowy tone on the sunny side, firm and then crisp, juicy and sweet. Good aroma. Goes brown slowly.
Rubinola	Yellow, firm, juicy. Does not go brown at all
Santana	Yellow, firm and then crisp. Very juicy. Barely goes brown at all.

Firmness:

Variety	Firmness when harvested (kg/cm2)
Discovery	6,8 – 8,5
Elise	7,5 – 9,5
Gravensteiner	7,2 – 8,2
Ingrid-Marie	7,0 – 9,4
Rubinola	7,0 – 8,5
Santana	6,5 – 7,8

Chemical characteristics

Variety	Titrated acid (g/litre)	Sweetness (° Brix)
Discovery	5,0 – 6,5	9,7 – 11,3
Elise	7,4 – 8,7	8,5 – 10,3
Gravensteiner	8,0 – 9,5	8,5 – 10,5
Ingrid-Marie	6,0 – 7,5	12,6 – 13,9
Rubinola	7,0 – 8,4	13,0 – 14,5
Santana	6,6 – 7,8	12,0 – 13,2

Organoleptic characteristics

Variety	Taste/Aroma
Discovery	Rich aroma. Sweet and average acidity. Taste of strawberries and wild strawberries. The cool nights in the biosphere area intensifies the freshness of the taste and enhances the berry notes, while sunny days help create the attractive colour changes in the skin and strong permeation of colour into the fruit flesh.
Elise	Sweet, rather acidic. Good aroma. Taste of pear and honey. This variety thrives in the stable climate of the biosphere area. The mild autumn and the temperature-balancing effect of Lake Vättern make the fruit ripen slowly, developing its complex balance between sweetness and acidity. The extended ripening window allows the pear-like aroma of this variety to fully develop while ensuring the juiciness and keeping qualities of the fruit.
Gravensteiner	Strongly aromatic with fresh acidity and a long after-taste. Taste of oranges and red berries. The well-drained mineral-rich slopes of the East Vättern Scarp Landscape enhance the powerful aroma and add a hint of tannins, making the variety unique to our cultivation zone. The area’s unique microclimate close to Lake Vättern protects fruit against the early spring frost, which benefits the sensitive blossoming season of the Gravensteiner variety, helping to ensure certain and high-quality harvests.
Ingrid-Marie	Intensely aromatic, tasting of mandarin, plum and nectarine. Spicy with cinnamon notes. Medium acidity, high sweetness. The dark red skin with blue glints of this variety is developed to its fullest in the East Vättern Scarp Landscape by the cool nights that stimulate the formation of anthocyanins (pigments).
Rubinola	Sweet with high acidity. Taste of tropical fruit, pineapple and passion fruit. Rubinola thrives particularly well in the East Vättern Scarp Landscape owing to the long growing season of the area, with cool nights and many hours of sunlight helping complex tastes to develop. The mineral-rich subsoil plays a part in creating the unique aroma of Rubinola and its balance between acidity and sweetness. Its compact skin, developed in this microclimate, protects it against damage and keeps it juicy until it is consumed.
Santana	Sweet, slight note of tartaric acid. Good aroma with a note of sweet grapes. The long warm summer nights and the cool nights in autumn slow down fruit respiration, thereby preserving its acidity and resulting in a fresh, distinct taste profile.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

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3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

All steps from cultivation to harvest of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples must take place in the defined geographical area described in point 4.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

To preserve the characteristics of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples from harvest to distribution and to ensure traceability, the apples must be kept in cold storage and packed within the production area described in point 4.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

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4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area for ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples is bordered to the west by the E4 road (according to the road layout in January 2022), to the north by a line from the southwestern corner of the Säbybranten nature reserve (N 6416248 E 457528) to Tolarp (N 6418496 E 461312) (SWEREF 99), to the east by a line from Tolarp to Ulvenstorp (N 6412592 E 464296) and to the south by a line from Ulvenstorp to Brunnstorp (the viaduct under the E4; N 6409081 E 456692).

5.   Link with the geographical area

The request to register ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ PGI is based on the link between the product’s characteristics and the geographical area.

Distinctive features linked to the product

‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples are characterised by an intense colour and a distinct fruit acid balanced with well-calibrated sweetness.

‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples have a thinner peel than similar apples cultivated further south in Europe. Manual handling of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples ensures that the apples are not damaged during picking, storing and packing in spite of their thinner peel.

Thanks to our own packing centres and proximity to a wholesaler, ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples are juicy when they reach the customer.

Unlike apples imported or introduced from elsewhere, ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples are not waxed or chemically treated after harvest.

Link

The characteristics of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples depend on the specific natural conditions of Äppledalen and the growers’ knowledge of how these should best be made use of in apple cultivation.

Äppledalen intersects the East Vättern Scarp Landscape Biosphere Reserve (https://ostravatterbranterna.se ) from northeast to southwest. The valley slopes down from the highest point in the northeast down to Lake Vättern, the fifth largest lake in Europe. The geographical location, soil conditions (clay, sand, glacial river sediment and moraine with nutrient-rich streaks of basic gabbro that crumbles easily) of Äppledalen and its proximity to Lake Vättern creates a landscape with a patchwork of small cultivation areas with good living conditions for wild pollinators and excellent conditions for growing apples with the special characteristics of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’.

The northern location of Äppeldalen means many hours of intense sunlight during the growing season, while the average daily temperature ranging from just over 25 °C in the daytime to approximately 5 °C at night. The northern location also means fewer attacks by pests (fungi and insects), lessening the need to use plant protection products.

Proximity to the large reservoir of Lake Vättern means that the southwesterly winds blowing from the lake into Äppeldalen are chilled, delaying the blossoming season of the apple trees at a time when there is a major risk of frost damage to the flowers. In the autumn, the southwesterly winds are warmed by the warm water of Lake Vättern, which reduces the risk of severe night frost and extends the ripening stage of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ during the time of the year when the difference between the day-time and night-time temperatures is at its greatest.

All these hours of sunlight, the powerful light, the long ripening period and the major variation in temperature during the day give ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples an intense colour, distinct fruit acid and balanced sweetness, as well as thinner peel than the same varieties when they are cultivated further south.

For example, the long warm, cool nights in autumn in the East Vättern Scarp Landscape slow down fruit respiration, thereby preserving the acidity of the Santana variety and resulting in a fresh, distinct taste profile. The well-drained mineral-rich slopes of the East Vättern Scarp Landscape enhance the powerful aroma and add a hint of tannins, making the Gravensteiner variety unique to our cultivation zone.

The dark red skin with blue glints of the Ingrid-Marie variety can develop to its fullest in the East Vättern Scarp Landscape due to the cool nights that stimulate the formation of anthocyanins (pigments).

The characteristics of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ are dependent on the growers’ knowledge of the local conditions in Äppeldalen’s patchwork landscape of small cultivation areas and of the particular requirements of each variety as regards cultivation conditions, climate and soil conditions. This knowledge guides the selection of cultivation site for each individual variety and how the plants are looked after.

The cultivation of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ is climate-certified (IP Sigill, fruit and vegetables), so there are strict rules on fertilisation, irrigation and the use of plant protection products. Growers must demonstrate there is a need for fertilisation adapted to the anticipated size of the harvest with a soil analysis. Similarly, growers must analyse the presence and amount of pest insects by means of sampling to demonstrate a need for pest control.

How growers prune the trees and the extent to which they need to be watered with water from Lake Vättern during the season is determined by the requirements of each apple variety and local conditions.

To achieve the maximum harvest of apples with the characteristics typical of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’, growers protect wild pollinators present at the cultivation sites by conserving biodiversity and setting up insect hotels.

Thin-skinned apples require manual handling from harvesting to packing. To preserve the characteristics of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples, the apples are therefore picked by hand and stored in ULO (Ultra-Low Oxygen) storage until they are packed by hand for delivery to customers. Cold storage and packing guarantee that the juicy apples with the characteristics typical of ‘Äpplen från Äppledalen’ apples can be delivered to the end customer.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/4aa000/globalassets/foretag-regler-kontroll/livsmedelsinformation-markning-halsopastaenden/skyddade-beteckningar/ansokan-om-skyddad-beteckning---applen-fran-appledalen_251022.pdf

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(1)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj).