Finesse, Strawberry

Finesse is an 'Everbearer' initiating flowers in the spring and fruiting continuously from July until the first frost.

Bred at East Malling Research from an Everest cross and trialled as EMR346, Finesse combines high yield with excellent fruit quality, superb flavour and robust disease resistance.

Fruit quality and yield

Finesse produces large to medium, uniformly heart-shaped berries with sunken seeds, waxy skin and fresh looking calices. The fruit is attractive to the eye, bright red with good skin strength and shelf life. The berries have a pleasant juicy texture, the flavour is well balanced between acid and sugar and brix levels have averaged 9.5 in trials.

The fruit quality of Finesse is equal to the best mainstream June bearing varieties. Yields have been similar to, or higher than, Everest in trials to date with 1.2kg per plant recorded in 2007 at EMR and 50% of the crop greater than 35mm. Picking commenced in week 26 and peaked at week 31 - significantly ahead of Flamenco.

Disease resistance and husbandry

This variety has been extensively tested at EMR and has shown good resistance to Verticillium Wilt and to Crown Rot. As a consequence Finesse has excelled when planted into the soil including when secondhand beds and bags have been used. Plant vigour is good and runnering is limited.

Certified stock

Module raised plants from mid-February (40 cell trays): £375 per thousand