#67 Tom Oliver - Cider & Perry Making, Orchards, Varieties, Fermentation, Cider Appreciation, Herefordshire, Agriculture

Tom Oliver is one of the UK’s most respected cider and perry makers, based in Herefordshire. A farmer first and foremost, he works with traditional orchards, rare varieties and long, slow fermentations to produce some of the most expressive cider and perry in the country. His approach is hands-on, low intervention, and deeply rooted in place.In this conversation we get into why perry is so difficult to make well. From awkward fruit that sinks instead of floats, to tannins that can return in bottle, to fermentations that refuse to behave. Tom explains why you can do everything “right” and still end up fighting nature. And why that struggle is exactly what gives great perry its depth.We get into the agricultural reality of managing orchards across the full calendar year, from winter pruning and wassailing through to blossom, pollination, frost risk and the impact of drought. Tom explains why perry pears demand extraordinary patience. Some can take up to twenty years before yielding properly, yet once established they may live and produce for centuries. That long view shapes everything.We also discuss fire blight and the very real threat it poses to traditional pear trees, along with the biannual nature of cropping, shifting climate patterns and the hard economics of growing fruit in Herefordshire. It is a precarious balance between agriculture, time and cashflow.On the production side, we explore wild fermentation and the idea of house character. Where does the yeast really come from. The fruit, the air, or the buildings themselves. We talk about why cider can ferment for months, sometimes right through winter, and how that slow, unmanaged process builds complexity you simply do not get in rapid fermentations.From there we move into keeving, residual sugar and bottle conditioning, and how sweetness, tannin and acidity can be structured with intent rather than correction. We debate blending versus single variety bottlings, and whether the romance of a named orchard fruit sometimes overshadows the craft and judgement of the blender.Finally, we look at premium cider as an alternative to wine. Not just in theory, but at the table. Can cider outperform wine with food. And if it can, why is it still fighting for that recognition.Along the way we taste a still, barrel-aged perry that would sit comfortably alongside white Burgundy, and debate whether apples suffer from over-familiarity. If they grow everywhere, do we take them for granted?https://oliversciderandperry.co.uk00:00 The Incredible Challenges of Making Perry, Perry as Route Into Premium Cider05:50 Cider & Perry as an Alternative to Beer & Wine, Respect09:30 Managing an Orchard: Traditional vs Bush, Tree & Fruit Development, Harvesting, Yield, Fire Blight32:30 A Year of Cider Making: Wassail, Pruning, Weather, Climate Change, Foxwell Apple, Fermentation & Yeast*, Blending53:40 Tasting Eskimo Eyes Still Perry - Barrel Ageing56:30 Keeving - Process, Purpose, Tannin & Sweetness & Alcohol1:08:40 Filtration. Pasteurisation & Bottling, Bottle Fermented Perry1:12:40 Cider Regions: Hereford & Somerset1:16:00 Single Variety Cider vs. Blends, Intention of the Cider Maker, Oliver’s Orchard Variites1:23:00 Origin Stories: Why Become a Cider & Perry Maker?1:26:00 The Search for Good Eau de Vie, Apple Pommeau, Royal Cider, Development of Cider Brandy📷 Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tristanstephenson/📚 I've written quite a few books on spirits and cocktails - https://www.thecuriousbartender.com/