180: Cider Is Wine | Simon Day, UK

180: Cider Is Wine | Simon Day, UK

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist May 15, 2019 Duration: 58:21

180: Cider Is Wine | Simon Day of Once Upon a Tree, UK

This chat was recorded at CiderCon2019 in Chicago.

Simon Day and I did not speak directly on the topic of the "Cider is Wine" debate, but I do suspect that his early upbringing which was intrenched in the wine culture certainly informs him today. When Simon was 2 his father got a job working at a vineyard, and that vineyard also had apple and pears growing there too.

On May 20th - 22nd of 2019 he is attending the London Wine Fair with the "Cider is Wine Alliance", a newly formed non profit group based in the UK whose mission is to create a new quality drinks category for ciders & perries produced from 100% apples and pears.

Simon Day, opening a bottle of Simon Day, opening a bottle of "Chapel Pleck" a champagne method Perry

Simon's own background before starting Once Upon a Tree led him to work globally in the business of wine both in the UK to the Pacific Northwest, Australia and on the Channel island of Jersey, which is right off the coast of Normandy. Jersey by the way has a rich cider making history too.

When Simon eventually returned to England, he settle close by the original vineyard. The house was surrounded by orchards.

Like most major life changes there is a pivotal moment in time that can change your life's trajectory and for Simon it was attending The Big Apple Association tasting in the same town where he lived.

In 2007 he started pressing and using the same press, a Voran mill and press, that he had been using in Guernsey. That year he made 3 different ciders and entered them into the International Perry and Cider Competition in 2008. They won first place for all 3 categories

Today, Once Upon a Tree is both making Cider, Perry, Ice Pear Wine and providing other cider makers both juice and cider. Shacksbury based in Vermont was the first to use cider from Once Upon a Tree. Shacksbury uses 25% of their UK juice to blend into Shacksbury's Dry Cider.

In this chat Simon served a 2014 Marcle Ridge cider and a champagne method perry called Chapel Pleck, both outstanding ciders.

Contact info for Once Upon a Tree

Website: https://shop.haygrove-evolution.com/

eMail: mailto:info@onceuponatree.co.uk

Address:

Haygrove Evolution

Little Marcle Road, Ledbury,

Herefordshire, HR82JL

Mentions in this Chat

  • Totally Cider Tour | Normandy September 22-28, 2019

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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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