A Place in History
South River Vineyard, Red Eagle Distillery, and the Black Door Tavern give travelers three delicious reasons to visit the Grand River Valley and soak up history along the way.
by Brooke Bilyj
Gene Sigel didn’t move to the Grand River Valley 30 years ago with grand visions of starting his own winery—let alone his own distillery or tavern. In fact, when he first came to Geneva as the vineyard manager for Debonne Vineyards, the winter weather had destroyed many of the vines in the area.
Three decades and many weather ups-and-downs later, Sigel not only expanded Debonne’s vineyard acreage, but also farms his own grapes for South River Vineyard. His property is where visitors will find a former church that was disassembled and moved from its original location in Shalersville, Ohio, and reconstructed at its current site. Rows of lush vineyards tended by Sigel make this setting the ideal environment to showcase Sigel’s wines, made from vinifera grapes that thrive in the Grand River Valley.
While these old world varietals are usually difficult to grow due to the danger of frost damage, South River Vineyard’s prime location protects the vines from critical temperatures, extending the growing season so Sigel can work his magic (with the help of some modern methods such as turbines to prevent frost).
Although the site’s profile for growing grapes is what initially drew Sigel to South River, the second factor that lured him there was the historical architecture already sitting on the property. An old brick house and a huge hand-hewn timber barn held rich history and backstory that Sigel was anxious to unravel as he restored the turn-of-the-century structures.
Sigel opened Red Eagle Distillery inside an old barn on the property in 2012, and it became the first distillery in the state with these onsite consumption privileges—creating a campus concept that turned South River from a winery into a destination for all tastes.
Fast forward to 2022, and Sigel opened the Black Door Tavern, a historic home full of prohibition-era history with an elegant cocktail bar on the second floor serving Red Eagle spirits and other liquors along with craft beers from across the state. An eclectic, ever-changing menu features small plates created by chef Chris Di Lisi.
Sigel currently farms a combined 150 acres of vineyards on eight different sites over an eight-mile area. About 50 of those acres belong to South River Vineyards, and the rest is farmed for Debonne and the Debevc Family’s other neighboring establishments, Cask 307 and Grand
River Cellars.
Sigel’s not the only one who’s fascinated by the history of the buildings at South River Vineyard.
“The history and architecture of the old buildings draws people in out of curiosity,” Sigel says. “When they drive through the area, they find authenticity and historical rooting that seems to appeal to a large swath of customers.”
South River’s campus concept is a perfect fit for the Grand River Valley region, Sigel says, because visitors tend to circulate from one bar or winery to the next, sampling as many local flavors as possible.