058: Eric Bordelet | Ancient Pears, Chay Tour Part 2

058: Eric Bordelet | Ancient Pears, Chay Tour Part 2

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist December 7, 2016 Duration: 47:13

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We begin this chat with Eric Bordelet in the Pear Orchard…He lead us into a large green field with low grass. We look out in the distance and see 35 foot high trees ahead. The trees are laden with fruit. The background music is the sound of pears dropping to the ground.

 

This is Part 2 of a two part chat with Eric. Listen to Part 1 here.

There is a skip in his step as he walks towards the each  giant of a tree, picking up fallen pears as he goes along to hold for a moment and feel it stage of ripening.

The girth of some of the largest pear trees are much too wide for me to circle with only two arms.

If a knight in full armor came riding into the field on his way to Paris,  I would not have been surprised.

It is as if we drank the tea and fell into the rabbit hole rolling back time.

Soon Eric is pointing out the grafts on some of the oldest trees and my sense of normal is thrown even further  off balance.

Unlike the 200 year old apple trees I've seen in New England back in the USA, the graft lines on these pear trees are at least 4 feet high. It is as if the tree was sawed off and then perhaps a cleft graft was used.

There is a visible graft line as if the root stock of an ancient pear tree was sawn off  and then the new pear tree grafts where attached.

We then move on to Chateau de Hauteville where Eric is rebuilding the castle on this site.

After a tour in the Castle, we walk down to the cidery and touch upon BioDynamic Farming.

 

Contact Eric Bordelet

Eric Bordelet
Chateau de Hauteville
53250 Charchigné - France
 
Website: http://www.ericbordelet.com/
Tel : 0243039572
Fax: 0243000936email : eric@ericbordelet.com

Mentions in this chat

http://www.parc-naturel-normandie-maine.fr/ the region of France where Eric's Chay is located

BioDynamic Farming

Stella Natura 2017 Lunar Calendar for BioDynamic planting and farming

Ask for the following 3 #CiderGoingUP Campaign cider supporters - By supporting these cider makers, you in turn help Ciderville.

 

Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC

 

Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania

 

Oliver's Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK

 

Santa Cruz Cider Company - California

 

The Cider Project - California

 

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There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
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