166: Cider Chat Live | Lift off CiderCon2019

166: Cider Chat Live | Lift off CiderCon2019

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist February 6, 2019 Duration: 12:12

166 Cider Chat Live | Life off CiderCon2019

I was able to squeak in a mini episode before setting off to Chicago for the annual cider trade conference "CiderCon" hosted by the United States Association of Cider Makers.

I've been talking a lot about CiderCon leading up to this week of February 4-9, 2019. With 1000 people attending from all parts of the world, it is the Talk of the Town - for those of us who are hooked on all things cider.

Below is my schedule of recordings - I have a pretty simple set up to track who I will be speaking to and when. I am stoked that I will have more time at workshops recording, versus hidden away in a back room doing interviews. It's not that I don't like interviews, but when I heard last year that no one saw me for most of CiderCon in Baltimore - I realized that just ain't right. So this CiderCon - I have set up an number on seminar and panel recordings.

Even as I am flying to Chicago right now - I am getting direct messages in Twitter from makers who are going to CiderCon and looking to chat. Luckily I have also learned to leave a few open slots for just these kind of meet ups.

Here is the recording schedule thus far -

Feb 5th Tuesday Arrive…get landed  find half and half for morning coffee that me and my hotel mate Erica can use for the bad ass French press she is bringing (dang sure glad I agreed to room with Erica who also is one of the biggest, joyful cider enthusiasts around …my kind of cider person!)

Lee Reeve - InCider Japan  6-7pm

- note to self, bring the bottle of Calvados - must do a swig with Lee, whom I am stoked to meet.

Little Pomona - 7pm - I must catch up with Susanna and James Forbes - Already have my copy of The Cider Insider, that Susanna just wrote - and would love to talk to her about this awesome book! A must have - links to buy on the Cider Chat resource page

The Northman Cider Bar tonight…maybe or lay low and pace myself…we will see

Feb 6th amWednesday

9-10 Simon Day - Once Upon a Tree | UK - I am so excited to meet Simon and hear his tales and drink his cider!!!

1-3pm Pomme Boots Meeting - Krista Scruggs of ZAFA wines is speaking!!!

3-4pm Media - I think as media I get to go to the Cider Share early - weeeeeee

4-6:30pm Cider Share - Heaven on earth - walking about a room full of cider and the makers

7pm - James Creek Ciderhouse, North Carolina - a cider dinner and recording with Ann Marie and David Thornton???? "Yes - please"

Feb 7th Thursday

10:15am - Beginning Cidermaker panel  - continental A - I get to moderate and introduce this powerhouse panel.

10:15am Dryness - Williford C - I will be recording this key presentation with folks from the New York Cider Association - Jen Smith is the Ex Director and I Heart Jen!

12 - 1pm Attorney Marc Sorini is speaking during lunch on the History of Alcohol! I had to coax Marc to allow me to record! Can't wait to hear this presentation!!!

3-4:30pm oak - Ryan Monkman - Wiliford A-B - Ryan of Ontario - …based on Prince Edward County and maker of Field Bird Cider - If you haven't listen to Barrels and Bàtonnage with Ryan - DO - he is amazing. and I adore him,

Feb 7th Thursday evening open - who knows where I will be once the sun goes down. One thing for sure, I will have a glass of cider in my hand.

Feb 8th Friday

10:15am Embracing & Encouraging Diversity - Continental C - yowza - this is a powerhouse panel

12:30am Michelle McGrath - lunch speaker - I want to record Michelle - she is the perfect fit for the USACM and the fact that she is doing all that she does and is pregnant to boot! Super Star!!!

Leaving Open - 1:30 - 4:30

Friday evening - Erica scored a ticket to the SpeakEasy Cider meet up - YeeHaw!

Feb 9th Saturday -

A full day at Chicago Cider Summit

Feb 10th Sunday

Fly home - Ya!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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
498: Heeman's Cellar | Somewhere Cider from Ontario [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:05
In this episode of Cider Chat, we visit Heeman Cellars in Ontario, where a multi-generational strawberry farm expanded into cider and mead production focused on heritage apples, terroir, and experimentation. We taste ble…
496: Liberty Ciderworks | Spokane, WA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:28
Liberty Ciderworks in Spokane, Washington is an urban cidery focused on traditional methods. While located in the city, their cider reflects deep agricultural roots. Cider maker and founder Rick Hastings ferments with wi…
495: Cider Barrels Speak | Bâtonnage & Barrel Aging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:24
In this archive episode of Cider Chat, we go in a barrel cellar in Prince Edward County, Ontario, with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider and Lee Baker of Keint-He Winery. Listening to Fermentation What Is Bâtonnage in Cide…
494: Humboldt Cider and the Historic Orchard of Albert Etter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:53
In this episode of Cider Chat, we hear from Tom Hart of Humboldt Cider Company, located in Eureka, California along the rugged Pacific coastline behind what locals call the Redwood Curtain. We also discusses preserving t…
493: Cider as a Sport | Sidra in Asturias (Archive Edition) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:28
What is Asturian cider? Asturian cider (sidra natural) is a traditionally fermented apple cider from Asturias, Spain, served through a high pour (escanciado) and shared socially in small servings called culines. This epi…
492: Absolem Cider Company | Maine Cider Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:23
This episode of Cider Chat explores the growing Maine cider scene through Absolem Cider Company in Winthrop, a farm-based cidery helping shape New England's evolving cider identity. Located on a 60-acre farm in Winthrop,…
491: Revisiting Randall Grahm | Cider Exploration Without Hesitation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:35
An early conversation that explored possibilities cider was only beginning to consider. As Cider Chat moves toward its 500th episode, we revisit conversations from the earliest seasons, taking a long view of the moments…
490: Let Cider Lead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:32
An editorial on leadership, scarcity, and why cider no longer needs to borrow authority from beer or wine. In Let Cider Lead, host Ria Windcaller steps back from interviews to offer a clear-eyed reflection on the state o…
489: Natural Cider Production Seminar | CiderCon 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:53
Natural cider is often misunderstood as funky, volatile, or flawed. Recorded live at CiderCon 2025, this seminar reframes natural cider as a philosophy of low intervention, balance, and intentional care, not a free pass…