Gavin Robertson - Niagara College

140: Commercial Cidermaking | Niagara College, Ontario

Niagara College has two locations in Ontario, Canada. This chat features the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus which has a fully licensed winery on site (which is what is needed to make cider in Canada). It is here that past student and now the onsite winemaker, Gavin Robertson, works with students making cider to sell at the college’s … Read more

Alex and Caroline Peckham

139: New Zealand’s Cidermaking Calendar w/Alex Peckham

New Zealand’s Premier Cidermaker New Zealand’s Peckham Cider is featured in this podcast episode #139. I was able to sit down with Alex Peckham at CiderCon2018 held in Baltimore, Maryland. CiderCon is the annual trade conference put on by the American Cider Association every year. Because I live in the northern hemisphere, I have long … Read more

Richard Liu - Ironwood Cider

138: Chairman Richard Liu | Ontario Craft Cider Association

Richard Liu is the Chair of the Ontario Craft Cider Association and owner of Ironwood Cider and Sunnybrook Winery. This chat was recorded while I was on tour with Ryan Monkman of Fieldbird Cider (Prince Edward County) who sponsored my cider tour of Ontario’s craft cidermakers. Richard’s Background Richard was born in Taiwan and his family … Read more

137 Jenifer Dean

137: Ontario’s County Cider Story | Jenifer Dean

County Cider based in Prince Edward County in the Canadian Province of Ontario began selling cider in 1996. It was launched by Grant Howes a formidable man considered the Grandfather of Cider in Ontario. In 2000 Jenifer Dean who had studied winemaking joined up with County Cider. Her husband Grant passed away unexpectedly in January … Read more

136: Cidermaker of the Year 2018 | Tells All

Nathan Williams CiderMaker of the Year 2018 This is a mini version of the main podcast this week – as I am super duper busy – so I call this “Cider Chat Live” which is a mini me version of the main podcast – You can also subscribe to Cider Chat Live via https://anchor.fm/ciderchat Nathan details … Read more

135 Feature photo

135: Viejo High Pours in Fishtown | Philadelphia

Viejo is a barrel aged cider made by Joe Getz of Kurant Cider. This cider is a single varietal cider made with Winchester apples. Described on Kurants website as: “a blend of wild fermented ciders created by using some of the best apples we could source in Pennsylvania.  The ciders used to blend Viejo were … Read more

134 feature photo

134: Medlars “Pomme Rock Stars” & Judging Cider

What are Medlars? Medlars are pommes. It can be either a tree or a large bush. The small brown medlars are picked in the fall. Because Medlars are eaten in the winter months they were very popular at a time when fruit was not easily accessible during winter months. To Blet a Medlar, means that … Read more

Cider Chat Episode 133 featured photo Cider's Chemical Fingerprints

133: Cider’s Chemical Fingerprints

Attention Cider Makers! Understand Your Cider’s Chemical Fingerprints John Edwards presented “Cider’s Chemical Fingerprints” at the United States Association of Cider Makers (now referred to as the American Cider Association) annual conference in Baltimore Maryland (CiderCon) in February 2018. The full title of this workshop was The Complex Fingerprint Analysis of Cider and other Alcoholic … Read more

In the barrel room w/Lee Baker and Ryan Monkman

132: Barrels & Bâtonnage

Barrels & Bâtonnage w/FieldBird Cider & Keint-He Winery Bâtonnage is a winemaking technique that is also used in Cidermaking. It involves raking the lees or what is seen as the heavy particulars of yeast cells that fall out of solution and down to the bottom of the barrel during primary fermentation. Bâtonnage is all about … Read more

131 Cider Barrels, Ryan, Thierry, Louis

131: Cider Barrels with a Cooper, a Maker & Thierry Lemaire

Cider Barrel Maintenance The craft of making an oak barrel is called “cooperage” and the person who applies this craft is called a “cooper”. The skills of this trade have been passed down through the centuries. The tree and the wood chosen to become a barrel has to meet specific criteria, such as having a … Read more