321: Cider Styles with Eric Bordelet

321: Cider Styles with Eric Bordelet

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist May 25, 2022 Duration: 35:08

French Cider Tour with Eric Bordelet

Reservations for the Normandy and Brittany Cider Tour have been extended to June 15, 2022. Find the trip itinerary and reservation link at https://ciderchat.com/france-cider-tour

At the Cidery with Eric Bordelet

In this episode we hear about techniques and classifications of cider made by  the well known French cidermaker Eric Bordelet, during a previous French Cider Tour in 2018.

Eric Bordelet tshirt w:Didier Dagueneau Eric Bordelet t-shirt w:Didier Dagueneau on Front

This chat takes off with Eric talking about the difference between apples and pears and that it is critical to watch the PH of Pears when fermenting. This clip is taken from a longer clip that is part of a bonus audio   available to all at the Cider Chat Patreon Page.

  • Steps from crushing to blending
  • Collage - a French winemaking term that he uses to fine the juice and cider
  • Bentonite - a clay used in fining - the clay dust binds with the heavy juice particles and they drop to the bottom and are removed
  • Transitioning a family business
  • Temperature control in cidermaking
  • Instead of bentonite clay for fining the cider Eric uses porcelain filtration system
  • Controlling the speed of fermentation - how to extend fermentation if the outside temperature is fluctuating.
  • Eric use of words to explain his products - for instance "gastronomic"
    • he makes two kinds of ciders gastronomic and Bretagne which he explains in this episode. He will make a Cidre Doux (a sweet cider) with a variety of apples
    • The gastronomy cuvee Eric use a wide variety of apples and uses the same proportion or percentage of apple (or pears for his poire) each year. This way you can compare the vintage from year to year. The weather will make each vintage unique. He uses his own palate to decide how it will be and "does not leave the choice to others"
  • Stopped fermentation
  • Separating cider to make different blends

Then we move out of the sun and and offer up the last couple of minutes for you to listen as we move into the tasting room.

Contact Eric Bordelet

Mentions in this Chat

Group photo the roof of the Castle at Eric Bordelet Group photo the roof of the Castle at Eric Bordelet

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.


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
307:  Gary Flowers & Diane Flynt | CiderCon2022 Keynotes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:29
Keynote Speakers of CiderCon 2022 Gary Flowers is a keynote speaker, radio host and the tour guide who leads the Jackson Ward history tour. The tour was one of a number of pre-conference tour offerings for CiderCon2022 a…
306: Ciders for Every Season | Elegast Cidery, Netherlands [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:52
Elegast Cidery Beginnings Arjen Meeusem shares his story of living in Portland, Oregon and how a stop at Reverend Nat's Hard Cider to taste the cider inspired him to find out more about this niche market and its viabilit…
305: Cider Chat Live | Maker Tips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:43
Maker Arjen Meeuwsen of Elegast Cidery Offers business tips before you break ground, when your product is being sold and how to tap into a wider audience. Arjen's goal is "Being Present and Being Visible... and Providing…
304: Falling for the Chocolate Pear [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:20
Falling for the Chocolate Pear Forager of fruits enjoy the hunt of finding hidden trees and more often than not fully laden trees in plain site. Ben Kunesh's path as a forage has led him to fruits of all natures, includi…
303: DIY Wassail Tips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:27
What is a Wassail A Wassail is a celebration of the orchards, most typically apple orchards to honor the natural world and pay tribute with hopes of an abundant fruiting season moving forward. A Wassail is also a cheer W…
302: Cider Mills of Washtenaw County (1841 to today) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:27
Washtenaw County Cider Mills 1841 - Present Day Patrick McCauley grew up in south eastern Michigan and recalls visiting cider mills as a child, enjoying in the fresh pressed apple juice and the cider donuts. Today he is…
301: "Quality of Life" at the Water Wheel Cider Mill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:52
Building a Water Wheel to Power a Cider Mill Phil Watson grew up on an old farm with an old cider press that powered a water wheel. When a water wheel turns it produces a lot of force, so his mom back then had the old wh…
300: Strange Apples - Make Them POP! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:28
Episode 300 and the song "Strange Apples" In this episode we celebrate the 300th episode of Cider Chat and release a new cider song titled Strange Apples! This song is one part poking fun at ourselves as cidermakers and…
299: Boomer Legends of America's Cider Trade Today [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:23
The Boomers of America's Cider Trade Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider founder Elizabeth Ryan tells the back story of key legislation that reduce taxes for US cidermakers in the 1990's. Though she may consider herself to be…
298: Gallettes and Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:31
Gallettes at Scott Farm with Eden Specialty Cider Gallette dinners have been showcased at Scott Farm in Dummerston Vermont on Wednesday throughout 2021. Gallettes are a French cuisine where a batter is swirled around a f…