South Hill Cider in the Press
"The only difference between what people call wine and what we call cider is the fruit it's made from," said Steve Selin of South Hill Cider, a few minutes southwest of downtown Ithaca. "There's been wine around here for a long time, and a lot of us picked up not only technical knowledge but also our palates from hanging out with winemakers."
September 2021 - Travel & Leisure - Why the Finger Lakes is Becoming the Capital of Cider
Back In 2003, on a whim, Steve Selin joined a group of his neighbors in the Finger Lakes region of New York to forage wild apples to press into hard cider. He was surprised to find that the result was actually pretty good: crisp and dry, more akin to Champagne than fizzy apple juice. “It was a happy accident, starting out with wild apples,” he said. “It’s some of the highest-quality cider fruit imaginable, and I didn’t even know it at the time.”
January 2019- The Wall Street Journal - These Apple Ciders Are Wild—Literally
"The Finger Lakes might be the most exciting cider region in the United States, and Steve Selin may be one of its best producers. His bone-dry and complex Packbasket is made from hand-gathered wild seedling apples. His Pomme Sur Lie is aged nine months on its lees and makes the case for age-worthy cider."
February 2018- The Washington Post- 6 Heritage Cider Brands Worth Tasting
“This is beautiful, well-crafted cider that is wine-like and trades not only on its purity of apple aromas and flavors but a fantastic balance of fruit, acid, tannin and alcohol.” 5 stars Packbasket Still 2015
“This is very elegant cider that also displays a richness and really deserves to be taken with a full table of food and friends. The cider finishes long and with the light tannins shining. It’s a beautiful blend of apples and a top rank cider.” 4.5 stars Stone Fence Farm 2015
“This is a perfect dinner cider. I’d serve it alongside a rich pork roast, Coq au Vin, and even a leaner cut of fine beef such as Filet Mignon. Beautiful cider.” 4.5 stars Pomme Sur Lie 2015
April 2017- The Cider Journal
“Selin’s extensive knowledge of orchards and the genetics that go into each individual apple shines through his ciders sold throughout New York. Producing around nine ciders annually, he combines wild, local and, soon, his own apples to create signature ciders that have gained significant recognition all throughout the state. South Hill Cider has gained a solid foundation since 2013 and the future is looking bright for Selin and his ciders.”
December 2016- Cidercraft Magazine- Cider Made: South Hill’s Wild and Vintage Apple Ciders
"When ciders are still, crisp, dry and seriously made, you really get that "fine wine" feel to them. More and more, they just begin to remind me of a high-personality white wine."
October 2016- Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate- Going Still at South Hill
“Not long ago he found an old stand of trees southeast of Ithaca in Caroline and, after obtaining permission from the landowner, harvested 100 or more bushels of apples. That left him with the problem of getting the fruit out: “These hidden trees were far enough off the dirt road that we could only retrieve the fruit by hauling it out on our backs. Hence the name ‘Packbasket.’”
November 2016 - Life in the Finger Lakes- The Cider House Rules
“Steve Selin produced 1,250 cases of cider last year with apples from his hilltop orchard—and apples from other small orchards, abandoned orchards and wild apples.”
"With controlled fruit flavor, it is harmonious and friendly, not to mention moderately priced...."
September 2016- Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate- Cider Roundup: Fall 2016
"The only thing more beautiful and cared for than the letterpress printed labels is South Hill’s still, dry, wine-like cider itself (a righteous pairing with seafood and poultry)."
September 2016- Bon Appetit- 10 Ciders to Turn Wine Snobs Into Cider Snobs
“Unlike grapes, apples go native in a flash. Chuck a core, and a tree will follow. But every apple seedling is a hybrid, a cross-pollination of its mother tree and its pollen-donor dad. Each one will produce a variety that is new to this world.”
November 2015- Tasting Table- The Feral Cider Society
“Steve Selin calls himself an “apple hunter,” and that’s exactly what he did for this bone-dry, bottle-conditioned cider. Foraged from a stand of wild trees in central New York, the apples and pears were hauled out in backpacks (hence the name). It is at once toasty and full of tart stone fruit and citrus character—almost vinous in its build.”
November 2015- Vogue- Why Hard Cider Is Making A Comeback
Soundpost Cider: "one of the best ciders I've had. Crisp, mineral, and with a lovely richness--from both the bittersweet apples and the time in oak, I assume, but it didn't shout "oak" like some ciders I've had. Really, really nice."
Rowan Jacobson, 'Apples of Uncommon Character'
“In all this is a lovely, elegant cider that shows a deft hand by its makers and puts another star on New York’s cider tally.” 4.5 stars Soundpost Cider
January 2015- The Cider Journal
Spring 2015- Edible Fingerlakes interviewed Steve on our Pommeau. Read Here
“Not snowshoeing to the Finger Lakes anytime soon? Channel the terroir by picking up a petite 375mL bottle of Pommeau…glassy golden elixir bearing hints of clove and sweet butterscotch, best served as an apéritif”
April 2015- Liquor.com- 7 Innovative Hard Ciders You Need To Drink Now
For years, upstate New York's small-scale cider makers have foraged wild apples. Now they see the benefits of incorporating wild varieties into their orchards. If you know where to look in the fall, you’ll find patches of ground turned red with wild apples in certain parts of Ithaca, New York. Steve Selin knows where to look—and he seeks that bounty out in his role as cider maker at South Hill Cider. Although Selin owns a small orchard just outside of downtown Ithaca, he also spends time searching the hedgerows and forests around his part of the Finger Lakes for wild apples to use in his cider….