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Cider Chat

Cider Chat

By: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist
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Summary
 The world's longest-running podcast devoted entirely to cider. Hosted by cider emcee Ria Windcaller, Cider Chat® takes you inside the global cider community, where you'll meet the makers, orchardists, apple growers, historians, chefs, scientists, and enthusiasts turning apples into something extraordinary. Every episode uncorks new stories, new voices, and new places to raise a glass. Because Cider Takes You Places!™© Cider Chat 2014- 2026 Art Cooking Food & Wine Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • 519: Charles Martell | Stinking Bishop, Perry Pears & Luck

    519: Charles Martell | Stinking Bishop, Perry Pears & Luck
    Oct 28 2026

    Charles Martell has spent decades preserving some of England's most remarkable cider and perry traditions — often with a healthy dose of luck along the way.

    In this episode, Charles joins Cider Chat from Gloucestershire to talk about the story behind Stinking Bishop cheese and its Wallace & Gromit fame, rare and disappearing perry pears such as Dymock Red, his historic distillery, Gloucester cattle, and a lifetime rooted in the orchards and traditions of the region.

    00:00 Charles Martell on Quality of Life
    00:30 Welcome to Cider Chat
    02:05 Out and About in Ciderville
    02:57 Filming Chronicle at New Salem's Museum Orchard
    07:13 Totally Cider Tours and a France Preview
    07:54 Arriving at Hunts Court
    08:56 How Charles Became a Farmer
    10:16 Saving Rare Perry Pears
    13:54 Small Farm, Low Volume, High Value
    16:22 Books and Lost Fruit Varieties
    21:55 The Curious Names of Perry Pears
    23:48 Perry Versus Cider
    25:37 Saving Rare Gloucester Cattle
    30:12 Discovering the Farm's Distilling History
    32:23 A Wood-Fired Copper Still
    34:52 The Historic Distilling House
    35:50 A Look Around the Courtyard
    37:36 Tracing the Distilling House's Origins
    38:12 Building the German-Made Still
    39:38 The Stories Behind the Spirits' Names
    40:30 Tasting Poireau
    42:17 Pommeau and Barrel Aging
    44:45 May Hill and the Surrounding Landscape
    46:53 Stinking Bishop and Wallace and Gromit
    49:07 Single and Double Gloucester Cheese
    50:58 Cheese Pairings, Rinds, and Bacteria
    57:20 Hulla Baloo Blue Cheese
    58:36 A Turning Point for Perry
    59:57 Growing Perry Pear Trees
    01:02:59 Where to Buy and How to Visit
    01:04:10 Final Reflections and Farewell

    🍎 Get the full story, photos, links and more in the Episode 519 show notes at CiderChat.com.

    Listen & Subscribe
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    Learn More
    🌐 Episode show notes: Charles Martell's Stinking Bishop, Lost Pears and Pure Luck
    📰 eCiderNews: https://ciderchat.com/ecidernews/

    Support Cider Chat
    🍎 Become a Cider Chat Patron: https://www.patreon.com/ciderchat

    Stay Connected
    🌐 https://ciderchat.com
    📸 Instagram: @ciderchatciderville
    📘 Facebook: Cider Chat
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • 518: All Roads Lead Back to Cider | Denis Gwatkin

    518: All Roads Lead Back to Cider | Denis Gwatkin
    Oct 21 2026
    "I've never been on holiday in my life. I work 365 days a year. I enjoy what I do." — Denis Gwatkin A few friends, some old cider-making equipment, and enough cider to share before heading to the pub. That was the plan. Then a stranger stopped at the farm gate, and Denis Gwatkin's homemade perry took an unexpected journey. In Herefordshire's Golden Valley, Cider Chat host Ria Windcaller sits down with Denis at Gwatkin Cider Mill's Red Cow restaurant. What began as making cider for friends has grown into a destination for farmhouse cider, perry, food, camping, and music festivals. Denis shares how it all came together and takes the long view on changing tastes. Strawberry cider helps pay the bills, but what happens to traditional bittersweet orchards when the market wants something different? Through it all runs a deep attachment to the farm and a clear enjoyment of the life he has built. In This Cider Chat The chance encounter with CAMRA's John Hallam that brought Denis's perry to a wider audience. How customer requests helped turn a cider shop into a destination. Changing tastes, fruit cider, and the future of bittersweet apple orchards. Natural fermentation, oak barrels, and stainless steel. How bag-in-box packaging and flash pasteurization changed the business. Selling cider face to face at agricultural shows and food festivals. Lessons from Denis's uncle, Brian Browning, on fruit and perry making. Finding satisfaction in a life where farming, cider, and home are intertwined. Ciders and Perry Discussed Kingston Black, Foxwhelp, Yarlington Mill, Norman, Stoke Red, Silly Ewe, No Bull, and Squeal Pig perry. Denis also discusses strawberry cider and recalls that his early award-winning perry was probably made from Moorcroft pears. Out and About in Ciderville CiderFeast Boston: November 14, 2026, at the South Boston Lithuanian Citizens' Association. Ria will be attending and recording conversations. Going too? Connect on Instagram @ciderchatciderville. Cider gains another competition platform as the Argentina Spirits Awards adds cider alongside mead and kombucha. A preview of the French Blossom Time Totally Cider Tour planned for late April 2027, visiting Paris, Normandy, and Brittany, including a hike at Étretat. A potential UK Totally Cider Tour in August 2027, with dinner at Gwatkin Cider Mill on the itinerary wish list. To join the interest list for either tour, email info@ciderchat.com. Contact Info for Gwatkin Cider Website: Gwatkin Cider Restaurant and camping: Gwatkin Red Cow Location: Moorhampton Park Farm, Abbey Dore, Herefordshire, HR2 0AL, England Telephone: +44 (0)1981 551906 Down on the Farm Festival Golden Valley Vintage & Country Fair Listen & Subscribe 🍎 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify▶️ YouTube Learn More 🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/518-denis-gwatkin-cider/ 📰 eCiderNews: https://ciderchat.com/ecidernews Support Cider Chat If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat. 🍎 Become a Patron or Commercial Partner: https://www.patreon.com/c/ciderchat Stay Connected 📬 Story tips: news@ciderchat.com📱 Instagram: @ciderchatciderville
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    53 mins
  • 517: What Made ACE Cider Brand Worth $40+ Million

    517: What Made ACE Cider Brand Worth $40+ Million
    Oct 14 2026
    Jeffrey House and his wife Angela founded the California Cider Company in 1993 and built ACE Cider into a nationally distributed brand before selling the company in 2021. In this Cider Chat, Jeffrey gets into what it actually takes to build a cider business: distribution, margins, product development, persistence, scaling, knowing when to sell, and why making great cider is only part of building a valuable company. Mentions in this Cider Chat - Boston CiderFeast – November 14, 2026 - French Cider Blossom Time Tour – April 24–May 1, 2027 – Find out about Totally Cider Tours: https://ciderchat.com/totally-cider-tours/ - eCiderNews – This week's story features the new Somerset cider box collaboration from Wilding Cider and Rawlins Family Cider- Wilding and Rawlins Team Up on Somerset Cider Box Time Stamps 00:00 Cider Without Overthinking 02:13 The ACE Cider Origin Story 03:19 Out & About in Ciderville 06:05 Cider Events, Tours & News 09:31 Meet Jeffrey House 11:18 From Local Apples to National Scale 15:52 Building a Cider Company to Sell 18:58 Immigration & the Early Hustle 24:19 Finding Product Winners 30:34 The Reality of Cider Distribution 33:37 Building the Brand & Planning an Exit 37:21 Location, Costs & Business Decisions 38:32 Serendipity, Timing & Luck 39:58 The Entrepreneurial Mindset 41:58 Building a Product vs. Building a Business 42:29 The Pareto Principle & Persistence 44:41 Scaling, Cash Flow & Margins 46:38 Standing Out with Fruit Ciders 47:35 Selling ACE Cider 52:26 The Reality of Corporate Ownership 54:11 How the Cider Market Has Evolved 56:07 The Origins of ACE Fruit Ciders 58:36 Jeffrey House on Cider's Future 01:00:43 The Cider King 01:01:52 Ria's Wrap & Totally Cider Tour 01:03:17 Closing Song Listen & Subscribe 🍎 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify▶️ YouTube Learn More 🌐 Episode show notes: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/517-what-made-ace-cider-brand-worth-40-million/ 📰 eCiderNews: https://ciderchat.com/ecidernews Support Cider Chat If you enjoy independent cider journalism and conversations with cider makers from around the world, consider supporting Cider Chat. 🍎 Become a Patron or Commercial Partner: https://www.patreon.com/c/ciderchat Stay Connected 📬 Story tips: news@ciderchat.com📱 Instagram: @ciderchatciderville
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
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