450th Roger Wilkins - The Cider King

450th Roger Wilkins - The Cider King

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist March 12, 2025 Duration: 52:01

Looking back at Season 9 and Forward with Roger Wilkins

In this season ending episode we visit Roger Wilkins at his Lands End Farm.

Totally Cider Tour UK- Roger Wilkins
Cider King – Roger Wilkins

Roger Wilkins, is known globally as the "Cider King," and is a legendary figure in Somerset cider-making. He has been running Wilkins' Cider Farm in Mudgley since taking over from his grandfather in 1969. Renowned for his traditional methods, Roger ferments locally grown bittersweet apples in oak barrels, producing unfiltered, unsweetened farmhouse cider. His no-nonsense style and commitment to authenticity have made Wilkins' Cider Farm a pilgrimage site for cider enthusiasts world wide.

Though he has mentioned plans to scale down production, Roger was carrying buckets of apples into the cidery when Ria visited him in October of 2024. This episode features Roger discussing the difficulty for farmers and working with what he calls "Pen Floaters".

Season 9 Recap

Throughout this episode you will hear guest from Season 9, which started with Episode #401. From Chile, the UK, France and Eastern Europe and throughout the U.S.A., Cider Chat has featured guests who both make cider, promote cider, provide leadership for cider and enjoy cider.

With this episode 450 of Cider Chat we are showcasing the oral history of cider in 2025.

So grab a glass and Join the Chat, as we ring out one season and prepare for the next!

Mentioned in this Cider Chat


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
199: Bellwether Cider since 1996 | NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:37
In 1996 Bellwether Hard Cider and Wine Cellars opened for business in a repurposed chicken hatchery in upper New York state in the Finger Lakes regions surrounding Lake Cayuga. Now in its 23rd year of business, this fami…
198: Becoming a Pomologist w/ Dr. Peck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:02
Gregory M. Peck of the School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York is the featured guest on episode 198. Greg in Peck lab Greg's chat begins at…
197: Top 5 Picks for Franklin County CiderDays [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:13
Top 5 Picks for Franklin County CiderDays Franklin County CiderDays takes place on the first weekend of November every year as it has been for the past 25 years. Yes, this November 1-3, 2019 is the 25th Annual and the nu…
196: Goat Zen to Cornell | FLX, NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:15
Audio snap shots of the cider region of Cayuga Lake, a 38 mile long lake located in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. CiderweekFLX took place September 27- October 6, 2019. This region has: 10 cider producer sur…
195: Fly Be Night Cider | 0% Sh**, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:37
Look close into the label and you will see, words of wisdom, fun and glee! ...There are no surprises, just a straight up fact - this cider contains - 0% Shit Episode 195 features a chat with John Michael Leslie Edwards,…
194: The Reason for Being | Ross on Wye Cider & Perry, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:48
Episode 194: The Reason for Being | Ross on Wye Cider & Perry, UK Mike Johnson grew up on Broome Farm picking up apples with his grandmother, in the rural country known as Herefordshire in the United Kingdom. Thirty Five…
193: Cider's Museum, Mythology, and Fans | England [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:42
A Museum for Cider, Cider Mythology of May Hill and Cider Loving Fans are all featured in this episode. This is the third episode of Cider Chat featuring my trip to the United Kingdom. Go to episode 192: London Got Cider…
192: Oak Barrel Smoker, Cheese & Cider | UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:42
Kate and Toby Lovell are raising Shropshire Sheep and Friesian Sheep at Handcocks Meadow Farm The Shropshire Sheep don't debark trees which make them excellent for use in orchards. They also have a flock of Friesian Shee…
191: London Got Cider | Cider Chat Live [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:59
Here is the first dispatch from the United Kingdom, specifically London where my journey began. "The Talking Pommes" (The Medlars, Mr. Quince, Perry Pear) and I arrived at Heathrow and went our separate ways. The Pommes…
190: Cider Revitalizes 1750 Colonial Orchard | Massachusetts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:35
In 1968, Carol B. Hillman bought a colonial era estate that overlooked the Quabbin Reservoir, Boston's water source, in New Salem, Massachusetts. Originally attracted to the home onsite which is a classic colonial style…