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
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…