161: Best of Show | Cider Judging

161: Best of Show | Cider Judging

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist January 2, 2019 Duration: 55:16

Best of Show | Cider Judging at Franklin County CiderDays 2018 is featured in this episode 161.

Franklin County CiderDays takes place on the first weekend of November in "Franklin County" Massachusetts. This year 2019 will be the 25th annual CiderDays. Events take place on both sides of the Connecticut River and many are free to attend. Go to https://ciderdays.org/ and start planning to attend the 25th Annual. And make sure you take enough time off before the events begin on Friday, as I ,Ria, will be leading another Totally Cider Tour : New England the day before.

About the CiderDays Judging

For the past six years the CiderDays Amateur Cider Competition solicts entries during CiderDays and at locations through out New England. The actual judging takes place one month after CiderDays. Thus the 2018 judging took place on December 1st, 2018 at the White Church in Deerfield Massachusetts.

Many of the judges have been involved with CiderDays since if first started back in 1993. Judges can also be commercial makers, cider writers and fermenters from as far as Virginia and Pennsylvania.

This episode records the Best of Show judging of the final 11 ciders that all placed first in their category.

Scroll to minute 13:48 to listen straight away to the Best of Show Recording. Otherwise enjoy the news beforehand and after from out and about Ciderville.

Mentions in this Chat

Cousin Jay brings us into this week's chat

Mentions in this chat

February 4th-8th, 2019 CiderCon The United States Association of Cider Makers annual Trade Conference will be held in Chicago. Find out more and reserve today. Volunteer for CiderCon and have your registration fee waivered! Contact : Woodley email - pickcider@ciderassociation.org

February 10th - New York International Cider Competition

Totally Cider Tours

  • April 12th & 13th 2018 Monterey Bay California - Reservations can be made in January
  • September 2019 - Normandy France - Reservation will begin in January
  • Interested in these tours? Sign up for the eCiderNews and receive updates on tours.

Please Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.

Ask for the following ciders - By supporting these cidermakers, you in turn help Cider Chat

  1. Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania : listen to Joe Getz on episode 14
  2. Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC : listen to Danielle von Scheiner on episode 35
  3. Oliver's Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK ; listen to Tom Oliver on episode 29
  4. Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60
  5. The Cider Project aka EthicCider- California
  6. Albermale CiderWorks : listen to Chuck Shelton on episode 56
  7. Cider Summit : listen to Alan Shapiro founder of this cider fest on episode 75.
  8. Ramborn Cider Co. Luxembourg.
  9. Big Fish Cider Co. Virginia
  10. Tanuki Cider Co. Santa Cruz California episode 103
  11. Ross on Wye Cider and Perry, UK
  12. Process and Analytical NMR Services - John Edwards provides analytics of cider - stay tuned for his Chemical Fingerprints workshop coming up on Cider Chat
  13. Ironbark Ciderworks, Claremont, California

Join the #ciderGoingUP Campaign today! 

 


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.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
478: Pommeau: What Happens When a French Classic Lands on U.S. Labels [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:18
What is Pommeau? Pommeau is a: fortified blend of fresh apple must (unfermented) and apple brandy (typically Calvados in Normandy or Lambig in Brittany). The unfermented apple juice and brandy are combined before ferment…
477: 2025 Ultimate Cider Pairing Guide for Thanksgiving [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:38
Learn how to pick the right Cider and Perry for every dish on the Thanksgiving table. This week we are not chasing brand names. We are building flavor intuition. Consider Thanksgiving not as one single taste on a plate;…
476: Be Medieval, Rack that Cider| Secondary Fermentation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:18
How to clarify, stabilize, and finish cider the right way The Purpose of Secondary Fermentation when Making Cider Once the apple juice has started fermented and it is now slowing down, it is time to rack over your cider…
473: Tiny Bubbles | How to Make a Pét Nat Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:53
What makes a Pét Nat cider sparkle naturally and how is it connected to the rural method you might have heard about in the UK? In this episode, we take a practical look at: What Pét Nat cider is and how it relates to the…
471: Cider Tourism 101 | Newton Court, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:50
Newton Court Cider began as a 30-acre farm selling apples to Bulmers. When the market changed, Paul Stephens turned those same orchards into a modern day cider business. Front view of Newton Court's restaurant and visito…
470: Hedgers, Crossman's, and Coates: UK Cider's Entwined Histories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:55
In October 2024, Cider Chat MC Ria Windcaller recorded with Tom Vowles of Hedger Cider and Ben Crossman in Somerset. Initially, the two recordings felt like separate brand stories. Then, nearly a year later to the day as…
469: Getting Lost, So You Don't | UK Totally Cider Tour 2025 Recap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:58
UK Cider Tour 2025 Audio Snap Shots Wallace and Ria in Bristol In this Episode 469 of Cider Chat, we brings listeners inside the UK Totally Cider Tour 2025 through the voices of the guests who joined. From Somerset, Glou…