Cider Chat

What does time taste like?
Join Cider Chat MC Ria on the 2026 Totally Cider Tour through Normandy, Domfrontais and Brittany, where cider, poiré, Pommeau and Calvados become a way of experiencing place, people and time.
The journey begins with a reconnaissance adventure near Étretat and continues into orchards, cellars and conversations with makers, including Jacques Perritaz of Cidrerie du Vulcain and Eric Bordelet. At Eric's table, a tasting across vintages reveals how cider, poiré and Cormé continue to transform in the bottle.
Then hear directly from the people who traveled on the tour about what surprised them, what they learned and what they'll remember from cider country in France.
Mentions in This Cider Chat
Totally Cider Tours
Bent Ladder Estate Ciders & Wine | Episode 392
Giard | 13 Generations Making Cider, FR | Episode 177
France Blossom Time Tour 2027
Interested in joining the next Totally Cider Tour to France? Email info@ciderchat.com
Timestamps
Note: Cider Chat uses dynamic ad insertion. Depending on the ads served, actual playback times may vary slightly from the timestamps below.
00:00 Lost After Dark in Normandy
01:16 Finding the Trail Back
03:02 Welcome to Cider Chat
04:07 Reconnaissance in Étretat
08:25 La Mer à Boire with Jean-François Bougeant
10:05 An Unexpected Normandy Dinner
10:50 The Totally Cider Tour Begins
12:46 Meeting Jacques Perritaz
14:06 Learning to Work with Tannins
14:52 Drought, Deep Soil and Healthy Trees
16:04 Tasting Time with Eric Bordelet
18:43 Argelette Across the Years
23:27 Cormé and Transformation in the Bottle
25:48 Ted's France Tour Reflections
33:16 The Magic of Low-ABV Cider and Poiré
33:43 Carla and Galen's Tour Reflections
34:46 What the Calvados Cellar Teaches You
37:03 Learning from the Distillers
38:53 Discovering the Range of Calvados
40:28 Joyce and Andy's Tour Reflections
42:21 Discovering Poiré and French Towns
44:41 Discovering Pommeau and Calvados
46:58 Martin on Aged Perry and Access
54:57 France Tour Wrap and Blossom Time 2027
Listen & Subscribe
🍎 Apple Podcasts


🎧 Spotify


▶️ YouTube


Learn More
🌐 Episode show notes:
https://ciderchat.com/podcast/516-totally-cider-tour-france/
📰 eCiderNews:
https://ciderchat.com/ecidernews
Support Cider Chat
If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat.
🍎 Become a Patron or Commercial Partner:
https://www.patreon.com/c/ciderchat
Stay Connected
📬 Story tips:
news@ciderchat.com
📱 Instagram:
@ciderchatciderville

What happens when a cider region has the apples, but not centuries of rules telling cidermakers what cider is supposed to be?
Recorded at CiderCon 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island, this World of Cider session brings together three Latvian cider makers and Asnāte Ziemele of Baltic Cider.
The Baltics have a long apple-growing heritage, but their modern cider movement is remarkably young. That gives today's makers room to experiment with local heirloom apples, wild seedlings, European cider varieties, pét-nat, still cider, wild fermentation and more as they develop their own Baltic cider identity.
In This Cider Chat
Why Baltic cider is something of a blank slate
Northern climate, orchards and local apple varieties
Wild seedlings, crab apples and European cider varieties
Pét-nat, still cider and wild fermentation
Building consumer understanding of real cider
Organic orchard practices and wildlife pressure
Cider regulations, ABV and taxes
Food pairings and where to find Baltic cider
Building a Baltic cider identity without fixed traditions
Featured Panel
Asnāte Ziemele | Baltic Cider
Jānis Matvejs | Abuls Cidery
Mārtiņš Knipšis | Pienjāņi Cidery
Māris Plūme | Mr. Plūme Cidery
 
Timestamps
00:00 Baltic Cider Blank Slate
01:16 Host Intro and Cider Tours
03:17 Why the Baltics Now
04:05 Meet the Baltic Cider Association
04:52 Origins After 1991
05:57 Climate and Growing Conditions
08:17 Orchards and Apple Types
10:22 Styles and Ingredients
11:39 Challenges and Marketing
12:07 Abuls Cidery Story
14:36 Abuls Orchard and Pét-Nat
16:30 Pienjāņi Orchard Journey
19:47 Conservative Dry Cider Approach
21:51 Mr. Plūme Philosophy
26:17 Wild Fermentation Method
28:01 Audience Q&A and Sweet Cider
28:45 Real Cider Education
29:59 Selling Sweet and Natural Cider
30:16 Restaurants Build Awareness
31:09 Organic Orchard Practices
33:03 Wild Apples and Bitters
33:46 ABV Limits and Taxes
35:37 Building a Baltic Cider Identity
36:49 Apples in Latvian Life
38:54 Food Pairings with Cider
40:01 Where to Drink Baltic Cider
41:17 Market Niches and Bottles
43:11 Baltic Cider Association Communication
44:28 Regulations and Labeling
47:20 Fences and Wildlife Pressure
47:57 Grafting and Tree Sourcing
48:58 Closing Thanks and Signoff

Listen & Subscribe
🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cider-chat/id1054230417
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/25z9PBrbF5ERsv8X0SDWIV
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CiderChat
Learn More
Cider Chat: https://ciderchat.com/
eCiderNews: https://ciderchat.com/ecidernews/
Support Cider Chat
Support independent cider media and become a CiderGoingUP patron:
https://ciderchat.com/cider-going-up/
Stay Connected
Cider Chat: https://ciderchat.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciderchat/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ciderchat
Send story tips: news@ciderchat.com

Lees are more than sediment at the bottom of a tank. Recorded at CiderCon 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island, cidermaker and fermentation consultant Ryan Monkman explores how cidermakers can put lees to work throughout fermentation, élevage, and bottling.
Ryan digs into fine and gross lees, cracking lees, bâtonnage, autolysis, oxygen management, fault correction, bottle conditioning, and practical ways to decide which lees to keep and which to let go.
Timestamps
00:00 Cider Is Sensory
02:25 News From Ciderville
04:29 Back To CiderCon
05:29 Fine, Gross And Cracked Lees
07:58 Passive To Active Uses
09:29 Harvesting And Storing Lees
13:16 Cracking Lees
18:53 Why Crack Fresh Lees
21:46 Using Lees In Fermentation
26:15 Bâtonnage And Élevage
28:30 Using Lees To Correct Faults
31:10 Bottling, Canning And Kegging
35:22 Dosing Lees For Ancestral Cider
36:41 Traditional Method And Sur Lie
38:07 What To Watch For With Lees
39:55 Bâtonnage Timing And Technique
41:55 Bâtonnage And Oxygen
43:25 Cracked Lees And Autolysis
44:26 Building Three Cider Styles
47:03 Élevage Strategies
48:17 Bottling The Three Ciders
49:35 Lees, Yeast And Terroir
50:54 Ryan Monkman Wrap Up

Mentions in This Cider Chat

eCiderNews Cider led the August Beer Purchasers Index for the first time, coming in ahead of imports.
Michigan's important fall cider season
An update to the remembrance of cider author and advocate Ben Watson, with additional reflections from his longtime friend Annie Card.
Subscribe to eCiderNews for the latest cider news and analysis.

Totally Cider Tours | France Ria is heading back to France with Totally Cider Tours for an autumn journey through French cider country, with more stories from the orchards and cideries coming to Cider Chat.

CiderFeast Brooklyn CiderFeast returns to Brooklyn on October 3, bringing cider makers and cider fans together in New York City.

Listen & Subscribe
🍎 Apple Podcasts: Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify: Spotify
▶️ YouTube: YouTube
Learn More
🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/514-doing-more-with-lees/
📰 eCiderNews: eCiderNews
Support Cider Chat
If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat.
🍎 Become a Patron or Commercial Partner: Patreon
Stay Connected
📬 Story tips: news@ciderchat.com
📱 Instagram: @ciderchatciderville

What happens when a cidermaker decides to do less and give cider more time?
Spencer Morris of Sowams Cider Works in Warren, Rhode Island, makes cider with more than 70 apple varieties, old mechanical rack-and-cloth presses, glass demijohns and a remarkably hands-off approach.
Explore still cider, single-varietal apples, long aging on the lees, native fermentation, and why some Sowams ciders aren't released until they are three or four years old.
Timestamps
*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="f4dc7e49-9de6-4914-ad45-cd7bb6b521f7" data-turn-id-container="f4dc7e49-9de6-4914-ad45-cd7bb6b521f7" data-testid="conversation-turn-10" data-turn="assistant"> 00:00 Doing Less and Giving Cider Time
00:25 Meet the Guest
01:59 Single Varietal Cider
05:25 News from Ciderville
08:24 Fall Cider Festivals
10:29 Arriving in Rhode Island
12:55 Inside Sowams Cider Works
14:38 Spencer's Cider Story
18:38 Orchard and Rootstocks
22:37 Harvest Timing
24:55 Fermenting in Demijohns
31:59 No Sulfites, No Filtration
35:15 Aging Cider and Favorite Apples
37:07 Storing Apples Before Pressing
37:49 Concentrating the Fruit
38:30 Culling Apples and Sediment
40:53 Hands-Off Fermentation
42:07 Customers and the American Palate
46:15 Rhode Island Heritage Apples
48:53 Tasting the Orchard Blend
51:44 Serving Cider and Batch Numbers
55:03 Blending Apples at the Press
58:04 Tasting Rhode Island Greening
01:01:13 Weather and Vintage Variation
01:02:17 Visit Sowams and Final Thoughts





 



Listen & Subscribe
🍎 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
▶️ YouTube
Learn More
🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/513-sowams-cider/
📰 eCiderNews: https://ciderchat.com/ecidernews
Support Cider Chat
If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat.
🍎 Become a Patron or Commercial Partner: https://www.patreon.com/c/ciderchat
Stay Connected
📬 Story tips: news@ciderchat.com
📱 Instagram: @ciderchatciderville

Cider Chat MC Ria Windcaller reads her August eCiderNews editorial, Plant the Damn Apple Tree, reflecting on entrepreneurship, uncertainty, abundance, and what an apple tree might teach us about the time in between.
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK: SUMMER 2026 NEWS CYCLE REFLECTIONS
Cideries close. People in our community are passing. The weather is never dull.
And somewhere in all of that is a question:
Knowing how uncertain the outcome is, would you choose otherwise?
READ THE ORIGINAL eCIDERNEWS EDITORIAL
Plant the Damn Apple Tree
https://ciderchat.com/plant-the-damn-apple-tree/
EPISODE 512 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Editorial Welcome
01:08 Maybe and the News
02:16 Why We Keep Trying
02:43 Cidery Closures Context
03:56 My Entrepreneur Ledger
05:45 Choosing Abundance
07:01 Plant the Apple Tree
07:52 Time and My Mom
08:48 Deal and Sign Off
09:50 Ciderville Outro Chant
🍎 Subscribe to eCiderNews
🎙️ Listen to Cider Chat


Support Cider Chat
If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat.
🍎 Become a Patron or Commercial Partner: https://www.patreon.com/c/ciderchat
Stay Connected
📬 Story tips: news@ciderchat.com
📱 Instagram: @ciderchatciderville