233: "OMG" Russian Cider | Part 2

233: "OMG" Russian Cider | Part 2

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist August 5, 2020 Duration: 42:08

OMG and the story of two sommeliers!

Meet Olga and Micheal Efremov are Russian Sommeliers with two cider brands, OMG and Incider.

Michael & Olga Efremov of Incider - Russian cider Michael and Olga Efremov

They are based outside of Moscow in a small town, but close enough to work with restaurants in the city. Micheal is the cidermaker and Olga, the educator, leading tasting workshops.

During this chat recorded in February of 2020 at Cidrexpo, Olga discussed the apple variety known as "Antonovka".

She says it is difficult to make a single varietal cider from this apple because of the lack of aromas. Antonovka is used widely in the US as a rootstock for growing other apple varieties because Antonovka is so vigorous.

Labels from OMG and Incider. Note the first label features a painting from Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

Listen to a special episode on Cider Chat featuring the era of the Mannerist painters and the current Omni Era of Cider.


Russian Cider Baba Dash 2019 - episode 233

Mypysar label - Russian Cider 233

Get on Cider Chat!

  • Audio Snapshots from Ciderville - are you in the cider trade? Please send along an audio snap shot (2mins or less) with news from your special spot in Ciderville. Cider soon to be released, orchard news, Tasting Room hours - let us hear your good news! Send your snap shot to ria@ciderchat.com
  • Have a story to tell for the "Stories in Ciderville" segment?
    • Must be 3000 words or less or under 4 audio minutes
    • Apples and pommes must be integrated into the story line
    • Send your essay and a recording of yourself reading your essay to ria@ciderchat.com

Mentioned on this Chat

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.


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
089: Reusing Oak Barrels for Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:51
Find this episode with photos and all archived episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts Subscribe and Listen via iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio and wherever you love to listen to podcasts.…
088: In Tasmania w/Patrick Meagher of Simple Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:52
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. Simple Cider's is located on the southern tip of Tasmania in a re…
087: Cyser or Cyzer? Kombucha & Mead - Oh My! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:28
Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio and where ever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on twitter @cidercha…
086: Cider Press History | Make Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:09
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. Cider presses have come in a number of different shapes and forms…
085: Attorney Lindsey Zahn | Cider Law [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:48
Attorney Lindsey Zahn specializes in wine law, but there is no denying her interest in cider and the laws governing it commerce…and yes these there is a difference between wine and cider! Her wine blog On Reserve has bee…
084: The Elements of Cider | Sensory Analysis w/Charles McGonegal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:42
Charles McGonegal has been teaches a workshop on Sensory Analysis for cider judges, makers, enthusiasts and at both CiderCon (the United States Association o Cider Makers annual conference) and GLINTCAP (Great Lakes Inte…
083: Charles McGonegal | AEppelTreow Winery & Distillery,  Wisconsin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:09
Enter the Giveaway for 2 tickets to Cider Circus August 26, 2017 at Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Colorado http://cidercircus.com/ Enter by subscribing to eCiderNews and be automatically entered or become a Patron of Cid…
082: Joe Getz | Kurant Cider, Pennsylvania [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:49
Kurant Cider is back on Cider Chat discussing the opening of a Tasting Room in the area of Philidelphia called Fishtown. Cider will be available to go in can and growlers at the 436 E. Girard Ave location. The production…
081: Stephanie & Aaron Carson | Gypsy Circus Cider Co., Tennessee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:40
Gypsy Circus Cider Company founders and makers, Stephanie & Aaron Carson, are helping to put cider on the map in Tennessee. They have two facilities with one dedicated to barrel aging ciders and the main production site…
080: Teddy Weber | Tin Hat Cider, Vermont [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:14
Tin Hat cidermaker Teddy Weber is stewarding a 25 year old orchard in Waitsfield Vermont. This musician by trade got his taste for cider in the UK during his music gigs while there. He teamed up with Sue and Gib Geiger w…