A very old French cultivar of uncertain origin but first described in 1768. One of the best cullinary pears. Tree growth is upright and fairly compact. Pears need cooking slowly for 1-2 hours after which time they turn pink. -- Arbury 1997.Bellissime d'Hiver (Angleterre d'Hiver; Belle Noisette; De Bure; Teton de Venus). Fruit very large, turbinate, flattened on the apex. Skin fine green, changing to brownish-yellow on the shaded side, and fine lively red next the sun; covered all over with russety dots. Eye large, set in an open depressed basin. Stalk an inch long, inserted in an irregular cavity. Flesh white, tender, fine, sweet, mellow, and free from grittiness. A stewing pear, in season from November to April. -- R. Hogg, The Fruit Manual, 1860