Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery

Plan a Cozy Cider-Centered Getaway in the Catskills

"Perched on a picturesque hill overlooking organic apple orchards on the banks of the Delaware River in the Catskills, Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery was founded by Chicagoans Doug Doetsch and Susan Manning to give back to the community Doetsch grew up in. Built from the ground up on the site of a former seminary (you can spot the stone tower peeking above the trees), it’s the first passive house–certified alcohol production facility in the United States, and although its orchards are still fairly young—the first trees were planted in 2014—the small-batch bottles of crisp, mostly dry cider already show the level of care and skill that goes into each release. Tours walk you through rows of more than 60 apple (and some pear) varieties and down into the energy-efficient production space below the restaurant where vats of fermenting cider have handwritten labels detailing apple blends; each tour concludes with a guided tasting. My favorite was the Cackling Hen 2022, a semi-dry cider made with 62% Golden Russet plus Newton Pippin, Wickson, and Northern Spy, with notes of citrus, passion fruit, and mango and a bright, acidic palate that proved you don’t need to visit in fall to enjoy Seminary Hill." - Merlyn Miller