201: Ian Merwin PhD | Black Diamond Cider, NY

201: Ian Merwin PhD | Black Diamond Cider, NY

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist November 20, 2019 Duration: 58:58

Where does a Cornell University Pomologist do upon retirement? They start a cidery, of course!

Ian Merwin says, founding Black Diamond Cider, in Trumansburg, New York is his 4th career. He has lived in California, Chile, France and now on the west side of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes Region of New York state. He and his wife Jackie settled 30 years ago on on the spot of land that is now Black Diamond Cider and Orchards. He moved here from California, and going to school for Pomology. After receiving his PhD in Pomology in 1997, he the was hired to do both research and teaching at Cornell University. After 27 year at that position, he retired from Cornell and the Merwins opened Black Diamond Cider that same year.Ian Merwin Feature 201

From this sloping landscape they sell fruit and make cider.  Do make a plan to visit Black Diamond and try their cider on tap and buy bottles to go.Cider Blends at Black Diamond episode 201A Cider Blends at Black Diamond

Topics discussed with Ian

  • Nitrogen in the orchard.
    • Do you need to add nutrients to an orchard?

Says Ian, "Apple trees in general need very little nitrogen. Big Fruit (think large weighted apples) are created through the use of nitrogen and water. It might sell, but they aren't necessarily choice for cider."

At Black Diamond they want apples that are medium size and have a concentration of flavor.

  • The mythology about nutrients impact on apples.
    • The amount of nitrogen we put on the fertilizer had absolutely no impact on the yeast available nitrogen on the fruit
  • No yeast nutrients in Black Diamond

"The more I tried to feed the yeast the more problems I have."

  • Ripening Room - is a pole barn, with soy based foam
    • 50 degrees for the ripening room

Ripening Room at Black Diamond Ripening Room at Black Diamond

  • Starch hydrolysis in Apples
  • What causes an apple to fall

Sunburst Apple I'm hunting down more info about this apple - Sunburst I thought was a UK apple. Ian says this is a cross between Gold Rush and Pristine.

Contact for Black Diamond Cider

Website: https://www.blackdiamondcider.com/

Address: 4675 Seneca Rd
Trumansburg, NY 14886

eMail: blackdiamondfarm@gmail.com

Thank you to the following producers for helping to sponsor Cider Chat's tour of the Finger Lakes CiderWeek!

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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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