347: High Desert Apples | Calico Cidery, CA

347: High Desert Apples | Calico Cidery, CA

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist December 7, 2022 Duration: 1:04:35

Everything is Right Side Up at Calico

The logo of Calico Cidery might be an upside down apple drawn to look like an apple tree, but the setting, the people, orchard and the cider is all right side up and slamming it! Located in the high desert region of San Diego to the east of the county is a lone road that brings you up to Julian California which is a bustling apple town.

Calico sits at 38oo feet while Julian is up at 4200 feet, making it a high desert region where apples and the people are living the good life in what feels like a bit of an oasis after driving through the rough scrabble land of the desert below.

347 Calico Mural 200x300

Mural by the road out front of Calico Cidery

 

In this Chat

Ian Wright is the head cidermaker and brings us through a compliment of ciders while we chat about the history of the orchard.

  • Planted in 1920 - the orchard is long stem trees
  • At one time it was mainly a U-Pick orchard
  • Now owned by a family who is also making cider in Paso Robles California
  • What is dry farming apples

347 feature Ian Wright 200x300

Ian Wright

Ciders tasted in during this Chat

  • Field Blend
    • Jona Gold & Winesap  (9.0%)

  • Devil's Punch Bowl (8.0%)
    • a blend of apples, pears, persimmon and guavas
  • Wild ferments with no sulfites added
  • Always 4 Calico Ciders on tap
  • Everything made is sold on tap
  • Destination cidery and region
  • Single Varietals made at Calico
    • Winesap
    • Northern Spy
    • Jona Gold
    • Ida Red

347 After hours Calico Crew

Hanging with the after hours Cider and Calvados Crew at Calico

When visiting Calico and Julian

  • Take a cider and walk about the orchard at Calico
  • Make sure to have enough time to also hang at the bar and take in the slow life.
  • Say hi to Eric the bartender
  • Stay at the Julian Hotel
  • Grab a soup and half sandwich for lunch at Soups and Such Cafe
  • Nead a hefty dinner? Try Romano's Restaurant
  • Bring pie to the family or friends back home from the many apple pie bakeries in town
  • Visit the other local cideries

Contact info for Calico Cidery

Mentions in 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
408: Cider's Pomological Life Coach | Know Your Roots, NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:57
Mike Biltonen and his wife Debbie founded Know Your Roots in 2008 and began offering a wide array of service for backyard and commercial orchardists in 2014. Mike This conversation tool place at the Berkshire Roundtable…
407: Cider Log Tutorial w/Frosty Twig [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:56
Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. A Cider Log Documents Ferments from Start to Finish Find a free downloadable Cider Log for your next ferment below! Dan Gallagher of Frosty Twig C…
406: Japan Is An Apple Country | Lee Reeve [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:10
Japan is not only Cherry Blossom, but also Apple Country! Lee Reeve of InCiderJapan kicks off this episode stating "Japan is Apple Country." And he is right… because Lee has been on the podcast 3x's and has taught listen…
405: Fruit, Flowers, & Feeling | Revel Cider, Ontario [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:08
Tariq Ahmed on the Founding and Fermentation Styles at Revel Revel Cider was founded in 2014 and is located in Ontario a little over one hour west of Niagara Falls. Hear Tariq tell how he both got into fermentation, how…
404: Uk's Ross Cider & Perry is Lit! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:23
Featuring Albert Johnson of Ross Cider and Perry Company Ross Cider and Perry is a family owned business located in the West Country of the United Kingdom in the region of Heredfordshire. The Johnson family have been far…
403: Botanist and Barrel Eclectic Ferments | NC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:33
Meet one half of the family team at Botanist and Barrel Botanist and Barrel is a family owned and operated cidery. Kether Smith and brother Lyndon and their respective spouses Derick McGuffey and Amie Fields make the mag…
402: Michigan's Simply, Spectacular PIF Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:59
Meet the Founders of Presque Isle Farm Cider a.k.a PIF Molly and Dion Stepanski are the founders of of PIF Cider with an inviting Tasting Room located in Alpena, Michigan. They met in New Orleans where Dion was working a…
401: Celebrity Chef Brian Duffy Cider Pairing Tips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:13
Chef Duffy Talks Cooking with Cider Chef Brian Duffy is one of the culinary's industry's most dynamic and innovative personalities. Chef Brian Duffy With a career that spans decades, He has been captivating audiences wit…
400: To Ciderville With Love [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:05
A Special Valentine to Ciderville with Love This episode is a special valentine to Ciderville with a little bit of help from the Talking Pommes and an eventful appearance by The Nose! We are in the Cider House reviewing…
399: Sweden Embraces Non Alcoholic Ciders at Pomologik [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:35
The Low ABV Cider Revolution in Sweden In Strängnäs Sweden, circa 2017, Johan Sjöstedt, Oskar Palm, and Patrik Svensk began selling ciders commercially under their brand Pomologik. They didn't set out to make low alcohol…