477: 2025 Ultimate Cider Pairing Guide for Thanksgiving

477: 2025 Ultimate Cider Pairing Guide for Thanksgiving

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist November 12, 2025 Duration: 39:38

Learn how to pick the right Cider and Perry for every dish on the Thanksgiving table.

This week we are not chasing brand names. We are building flavor intuition.
Consider Thanksgiving not as one single taste on a plate; it is a stack of distinct taste worlds. Each one asks for its own kind of cider or perry.

In this holiday feature, Ria and the Talking Pommes a.k.a. Perry Pear, Mr. Quince, and The Medlars talk through the art of pairing cider and perry for the entire Thanksgiving feast, from the welcome sip to dessert.

You will learn how to shop with confidence, how to read a label for style rather than brand, and how to bring bottles that make every part of the meal sing.
There is also a downloadable Thanksgiving Cider Shopping Checklist PDF below to make your trip to the store simple and stress free.

Chapters for Episode 477

00:00 Introduction and Talking Pommes

00:47 Welcome to Cider Chat

02:02 Thanksgiving Traditions and Preparations

06:05 Upcoming Cider Tours

07:40 New York Cider Events

10:26 Ultimate Cider Pairing Guide for Thanksgiving

14:00 Choosing the Right Cider for Starters

18:33 Main Course Cider Pairings

20:37 Turkey Preparation and Cider Pairing

21:12 Smoked Turkey and Barrel-Aged Cider

21:49 Creamy Sides and Semi-Dry Cider

22:31 Fruit Ciders for Roasted Vegetables

22:57 Choosing the Right Cider

23:58 Introducing Cider to Friends and Family

25:01 Low Alcohol Ciders for Gatherings

26:30 Dessert Pairings with Cider

31:31 Serving Cheese and Fruit Plates

33:01 Thanksgiving Table Preparations

36:19 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

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: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
367: Get Out of Jail Free Card w/Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:09
Weed, to Jail, and Freed by Cider There are so many title options for this episode, that all center around time spent in jail for one burgeoning cidermaker. "Busted Weed Grower Saved by Cider", was one that almost made t…
366:  Acclaimed Cider w/Minimal Intervention Tom Oliver [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:47
Not only is the cider acclaimed, so too is the Maker Tom Oliver is just as acclaimed as his cider which makes Oliver's Cider and Perry Co. a global hit on two fronts. He is affable, engaging and knows his way around soci…
365:  A Fantastical Indescribable Drink | Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:29
Is Cider Truly Indescribable? There isn't one definitive language or lexicon for cider, which adds to its indescribable mystique. The ongoing debate around what cider is or isn't or should be doesn't help. It certainly f…
364: If the Mandalorian Tended Orchards [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:01
The Way of the Orchards Colin Scott has spent his life in orchards, learning how to tended them with his parents, Edward and Janice as role models. This episode is a testament of what it looks like to embody a craft as p…
363: Exploring Cider Using 33 Books Flavor Wheel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:00
The Founder behind 33 Books Company Dave Selden created 33 Books to help all of us track our favorite and not so favorite beverages! He is a graphic designer by trade, but soon found himself making tasting note books as…
362: The Lost Boy Cider Journey | Virginia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:10
Tristan Wright the Lost Boy who Cider Found [ Tristan Wright on the French Cider Tour Tristan and Katie Wright are the owners of Lost Boy Cider, and now also the Lost Girl Wine brand, based in Alexandria, Virginia. Disco…
361: Is Sulfur Dioxide Necessary for Making Cider | CiderCon 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:04
Is Sulfur dioxide (SO2) a natural part of Fermentation? In this episode pre-recorded at CiderCon 2023, you'll get to hear from cider makers who will share their knowledge and expertise on the topic of sulfur dioxide cide…
360: Taproom and Hospitality Tips | CiderCon 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:41
Everything in the taproom should be adjustable This Taproom Tips workshop was presented at CiderCon 2023 by Katie Black and Megan MacLean and it is packed with info! In this episode A four prong approach to brand identit…
359: Vala's Cider for their 300,000 Annual Visitors | Nebraska [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:56
The Vala Family's Business Model Tim Vala had a vision over 39 years ago to build a destination for family fun. It started with a Upick strawberry patch that grew into a pumpking patch, orchard. It then evolved into kid…
358: Apple History, Terroir and Cider of New York | CiderCon 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:14
Newtown Pippin, Northern Spy and Esopus Spitzenberg apples and cider in New York A pre-recorded seminar from CiderCon 2023 with 3 influential panelist based in New York. [caption id="attachment_8097" align="aligncenter"…