Looking out on South Hill the sun is setting. An orange blanket lies across the sky, casting a warm golden glow. There’s serene and soft music in the air, accompanied by the tender voices of those watching the sun seep into the night. Every Thursday, this is South Hill Cider.

Opened in 2014, South Hill Cider is home to a variety of beverages from Prelude dry sparkling to semi-sweet Bluegrass cider. The inspiration behind these musically gifted drinks? Steve Selin.

Selin, the owner of South Hill Cider, has spent the last 20 years not only bottling his own ciders but also as a musician. It was during his time playing in Finger Lake winery tasting rooms that his love of music and cidermaking intertwined. This experience also served as a key component in forging the methods used in cider production at South Hill. Shelby Buche, who leads tastings at South Hill Cider, said that they use “more winemaking methods rather than commercial cider making. So our

products are going to be dryer than folks are used to and they’re going to have a lot more character and texture.”

South Hill Cider’s unique methods and tastes are but one of its distinctive traits. The orchard started out as a collaboration with the previous landowner, who permitted use of the fields for apple trees. The unique location of the land places it a mere 4 miles from

downtown Ithaca, and under an intense amount of development pressure. Because of this, the orchard was placed under the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) when the collaboration began. Founded in 1989 the nonprofit organization is dedicated to protecting, monitoring, and preserving

 the forests, farmlands, and shorelines of the Finger Lakes region. According to FLLT, it has “saved over 27,500 acres by creating public nature preserves and helping landowners to conserve their beloved properties.”

Conservation and preservation are not only local priorities for the orchard but for the cider industry as a whole. “we really focus on the ways we’re enhancing the cider making industry and the ways we’re preserving traditions and histories of cider,” said Shelby Buchse as she discussed the orchard’s specialization in the use of wild fruit and fermentation.

The trees on the orchard have been naturally crossed over with yeast coming purely from the same region, no synthetic chemicals have tarnished this land and strictly organic certified inputs are used. This specialization takes the true characteristics of the Finger Lakes and gives them a space to be highlighted while continuing to keep an air of conservation.

Not only does South Hill Cider collaborate with what Ithaca’s land naturally has to offer, but also with the community. Staying true to his musical roots, Selin showcases local Ithaca artists every Tuesday and Thursday ranging from jazz blues to indy folklore. These events serve as a way to bring the community together in a shared appreciation for the culture of Ithaca.

The sun has sunk behind the mountains, the serene sounds of music have been replaced by the melodies of insects and the tempo of the wind. Night coats the orchard, yet the light of the moon has cast an iridescent glow onto the Ithaca hillside. The orchard and this ecosystem sit in harmony, untouched, and will continue to prosper due to the preservation and conservation that embodies South Hill Cider.

https://youtu.be/q2edPsz0ooM