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

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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

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