468: Foraging Flavor: Pierrepont Cider | NY

468: Foraging Flavor: Pierrepont Cider | NY

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist August 27, 2025 Duration: 1:00:06

Cider Maker and Founder Lee Van DeWater of Pierrepont Cider shares his story in this episode on how he is forages apples to share a taste of terroir from New York's North Country.

468 Lee Van DeWater holding a bottle of his Pierrepont Cider
Lee Van DeWater

Foraging Apples for Cider - Sustainable?

Lee's cider journey started with childhood memories of sweet cider and apple trees planted by his great-grandfather. But it wasn't until he worked in Montana—buying wine for a co-op that he connected cider and apples through fermentation. Western Cider of Montana help Lee get that spark/idea of a cider life, and the seed was planted.

Pierrepont cider is a one-man operation, sourcing apples exclusively within the Little River Watershed. Many of the trees Lee uses are wild seedlings, unknown varieties that thrive in New York's tough climate. He honors the trees, the land, and water, seeing cider as a reciprocal act of love for place.

Low-Intervention, High-Expression

Lee is self-taught and intentionally minimalist. His ciders are:

  • Wild-fermented
  • Unfiltered
  • Unsulfited
  • Aged in stainless and neutral oak barrels

Some of the most memorable ciders come from single trees. Others are blends of just a few wild apples growing together. He tracks everything via GPS and harvests with the patience and perspective of a forager.

"The tree that holds its fruit until the first snow, that's climate-controlled storage," Lee laughs.

Micro Batches, Big Intention

What's available?

  • 2024 Pet-Nat: lemony, spritzy, bright
  • Brighter Later: a single-tree cider still in label design
  • Orbed Road: a terroir-based expression of elevation
  • Maple Sap Ciderkin: rehydrated pomace with local maple sap, sparkling and experimental

Each bottle comes with its own story. You might not find hundreds of cases, but you'll find care, balance, and quiet brilliance.

Contact Info for Pierrepont Cider

Mentions 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: 50

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
514: Doing More With Lees | Ryan Monkman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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513: Still Cider, Single Apples and Time | Sowams, Rhode Island [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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512: Plant the Damn Apple Tree | Special Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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511: Hungarian Cider Comes of Age | Bright Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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510: From Barrels to the Pub | The People's Cider Co., Michigan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:44
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509: Mr. Plūme | In the Heart of Latvia's Fine Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:03
Episode 509 takes us to the heart of Latvia to meet Dace and Māris Plūme, the husband-and-wife team behind Mr. Plūme, an award-winning orchard cidery known for both still and naturally sparkling ciders. Their journey beg…
507: Expand Your Universe | Woodfolk Cider, Ontario Canada [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Sometimes all it takes is one sip. It happened to the founders of Woodfolk Cider, Martha Lowry and Alistair Whitehead, and it can happen to YOU! What began as a shared love of food, drink, and hospitality eventually led…
505: Cider Senseis: Discipline, Craft, and the Cost [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:25
There is a question that keeps coming up in cider, small business, and independent media: Is this sustainable? In this episode, Ria sits down with Adrian Luna, known as the Hard Cider Guy, for a conversation that goes we…