Control of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera Tortricidae), the major pest in apple fruit orchards, relies largely on insecticide application. In organic farming the use of these insecticides is forbidden, thus raising the need for alternative control strategies. Different products and technical tools for the control of codling moth in organic farming are available (mating disruption, granulosis virus (CpGV), Spinosad, entomopathogenic nematodes). However, their efficacy is not always satisfactory, especially when codling moth numbers are high or the treated area is small; in the case of Spinosad use a limited number of treatments is recommended in order to avoid resistance development. An interesting approach for the codling moth control that could be adopted in organic farming is the enclosing of single rows of apple trees in hail net. The results of trials conducted using this method indicated a highly significant reduction of codling moth fruit damage, also under conditions of high pest pressure. However, little is known about the effect of netting on the quality of apple fruit. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of codling moth exclusion nets on the organoleptic quality of apple fruits (cv. Braeburn). The trials were conducted in 2011 and 2012 in an experimental apple cv. Braeburn orchard. Two different netting structures were tested. The first structure consisted in enclosing single rows in black net: trees along one single row were covered with net from top to ground, and the net was then closed by pegging it to the ground. The second structure consisted in entirely enclosing a plot in black net. Not netted trees acted as control. On the apple fruit samples organic acids and sugars were quantified by HPLC methods, total phenol content was determined by Folin-Ciocalteau method, volatile aroma compounds were determined by a SBSE-GC-MS method. A sensory profile, including 18 descriptors, was evaluated by a panel of 10 assessors. The effects of netting and harvest year factors and their interactions on sensory and chemical profiles were evaluated by multivariate analysis techniques. Relationships between sensory attributes and chemical compounds were also investigated. A significant effect of the harvest year factor on chemical and sensory parameters was observed. However, in both the years the total phenol content measured on the fruit with the skin was higher in the apples from the control than in the fruits from the plot entirely enclosed in the net and, in decreasing order, in those from the plot in which the single rows were covered with the black net. This result was probably due to the incident solar radiation that was lower under the net and further reduced when the single rows were covered. No relationship was observed between the total phenol content and related sensory attributes such