479: New York Cider Fest | Audio Snapshots

479: New York Cider Fest | Audio Snapshots

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist November 26, 2025 Duration: 51:45

New York Cider Fest 2025 brought together makers and enthusiasts for an unforgettable day at City Winery Manhattan. In this special collection of on-the-floor recordings, Cider Chat® captures Audio Snap Shots with festival patrons.

Cider Chat Episode 479 New York Cider Fest logo

Hear how attendees at the New York Cider Fest are viewing cider today — what styles they're excited about, how they're drinking it, and the foods they love to pair with a glass, including their favorite Thanksgiving matches.

Episode Timeline

00:00 Introduction to Cider Chat

02:34 Exciting News: Totally Cider Tours

10:21 Feature Presentation: New York Cider Fest

12:24 Listener Snapshots: Cider Enthusiasts Share Their Stories

18:45 Exploring Cider Pairings and Preferences

19:22 Cider Travels and Discoveries

25:17 Food Influencers at Cider Fest

28:05 Meet the Food Bloggers

28:35 Kylie and JJ's Cider Journey

32:30 Katie's Fruity Cider Favorites

39:09 AJ's Tequila and Cider Combo

42:22 Adventurous Ashley's Cider Travels

45:48 Cider's Growing Popularity

47:56 Join the UK Cider Tour

49:20 Cider Song Finale

Contact info for the New York Cider Fest

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: 100

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
469: Getting Lost, So You Don't | UK Totally Cider Tour 2025 Recap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:58
UK Cider Tour 2025 Audio Snap Shots Wallace and Ria in Bristol In this Episode 469 of Cider Chat, we brings listeners inside the UK Totally Cider Tour 2025 through the voices of the guests who joined. From Somerset, Glou…
468: Foraging Flavor: Pierrepont Cider | NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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. Lee Van DeWater Foraging Apples for Cide…
467: Canton Apples and Frosty Twig: New York Cider Makers Unite [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:13
How Canton Apples and Frosty Twig Fused Two Brands into One In New York's "North of Upstate" region, in the town of Canton is the Canton Apples production building. It is now also home of a partnership shaping the local…
466: Growing Cold-Hardy Trees at Saint Lawrence Nursery | NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:06
A Century of Cold-Hardy Trees Saint Lawrence Nursery in Potsdam, NY, has been helping cold-climate growers find success since the 1920s. Originally founded by Fred Ashworth and later expanded by Bill MacKentley, the nurs…
464: Czech Cider: From Roadside Apples to Cellar Ferments [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:01
A conversation with Czech Cider Fan Dan Samek This episode brings us to the heart of Europe by way of Vermont. Ria sat down with Dan Samek, a cider enthusiast and home distiller from Prague, to talk about the evolving ci…
463: Zydeco Meadery: Fermenting Roots from Trinidad to New England [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:00
Eric Depradine of Zydeco Meadery crafts mead with Heart, Honey, and Heritage As securing permission, Eric was able to start his fermentation journey in high school with a science project using cane juice. That spark stay…
462: Cider in a Cathedral of Opulence | The Newt, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:43
A Digital Media Empire Embraces Cider at The Newt The Newt in Somerset is a world-class estate blending cider-making, luxury hospitality, and horticultural excellence. The estate is owned by South African owners Karen Ro…
461 RAW Levi Danielson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:24
Levi Danielson is the founder and cider maker at RAW Cider, based in Dayton, Oregon. With roots in the Driftless Region of Minnesota and a cidery nestled among cider apples and pears in the Willamette Valley, Levi's stor…
460: James B. Forbes on Little Pomona's Ciders & Legacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:47
An intimate sit down with James Forbes of Little Pomona to talk about grief of losing his wife and business partner Susanna Forbes, the growth of the cidery, and the evolving identity of one this select cidery. Rememberi…