GENEVA, Ohio – Gene Sigel, owner and operator of Red Eagle Distillery and South River Vineyard in Geneva, and vineyard manager at Debonné Vineyards in Madison, Ohio, always had an interest in farming.

Sigel remembers spending a lot of time riding his motorcycle during college through Peoria, Ill., and its outskirts, taking in the surrounding farming landscapes. He spent 10 years in college studying economics, including economic history and agricultural economics, expecting to teach economics to college students.

“I had no family connection or background in farming,” he said. “Not only that, in 1984 when I graduated high school and then 1989 when I graduated in economics with my first degree, it was not a time that people were encouraging (and saying), ‘Hey, you should go into farming!’”

In 1994, Sigel moved to Ohio to live with his parents while he finished his dissertation. He said he’d only been living in the area for two weeks when he saw an advertisement in the Farm and Dairy for an assistant vineyard management position at Debonné Vineyards. At the time, the vineyard wanted to launch an expansion project to increase the number of grapes they could produce because of the awards they were winning for their wines. Sigel landed the job, launching a career in agriculture that has spanned the last 32 years and counting.

Within the first year of his new position, Sigel began planting grapes on a piece of property he leased a couple of miles away from the vineyard, and went on to purchase 140 acres, becoming a supply grape farm for Debonné Vineyards and other local wineries. In 1998, he purchased the first parcel that would go on to become South River Vineyard. The vineyard features a century old church that was deconstructed in Shalersville, Ohio, and rebuilt in Geneva.

Around 2011, Sigel purchased the farm adjacent to South River Vineyard, a property that included a barn. This barn went on to become the home of Red Eagle Distillery, founded in 2012. He had already bought the still he’d use for the distillery in 2010 from Vendome Copper in Kentucky, having heard from his wife that there were many small distilleries popping up around the U.S. Sigel thought distilling would be the perfect counterweight to grape farming and give him something to do in the winter, since most distillation takes place in colder months.

“One of the things that’s informed the distillery has come from the vineyard. Historically and traditionally, the best wines are associated with close proximity to the vineyards,” Sigel said. “The best California grapes don’t get shipped to Ohio or New York, turned into wine, and become award-winning wines of California – those wines are made in California wineries. Grape farming is one of the unique areas of farming where the farm itself or the vineyard really establishes a heterogeneity that’s recognized in the final product. When I moved into the distilling industry in 2010, I was a little surprised or mortified to find that in the distilling industry, there really wasn’t a connection between the farm and its products.”

Sigel wanted to do something different at his distillery – make distilled spirits from things that grow well on his farm, celebrating the local terroir. It has taken more patience, but Red Eagle Distillery now offers five spirits made from local ingredients: bourbon, rye, vodka and brandy made from grapes, and a red maple spirit distilled from maple syrup. The distillery is currently working on a 100th anniversary commemorative special bourbon for Wellington Implement, an agriculture and outdoor equipment company, that’s anticipated to be released in 2029.

“(Ohio-made spirits) are part of maintaining the fabric and culture of the farm community here. Our bourbon and rye represent (that) rather than some unique flavor,” Sigel said.

However, Sigel added that the future for anybody manufacturing and selling alcohol in the U.S. looks grim, especially as data consistently demonstrates that Americans are drinking less in favor of positive health outcomes. Traffic has dropped in wineries across the country and in the local region. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that California winegrowers ripped out nearly 40,000 acres of grapes over the past year in response to the dropping demand for wine.

“There are thousands of acres being ripped out in California, and for me as a vineyard owner, I’m starting to confront that some of the vineyards I have either need to be removed, or I need to plant other varieties that might have a growing market,” Sigel said. “The grapes are such a long-term commitment…The idea of ripping out vineyards and starting over again is challenging.”

Still, Sigel said that although the demand for alcohol has decreased, it hasn’t led him in any specific direction in his agricultural career. He said that his winery and distillery continue to be healthy businesses and that he and his family have been focused on building up their facilities in ways that appeal to people both architecturally and aesthetically. 

“We’re not ashamed of the fact that we farm alcohol,” Sigel noted. “As much as it can be a problem in society, it has also been a good part of farming for certain specialty growers.”

Red Eagle Distillery, 6202 S River Rd W, Geneva, OH 44041, is open seven days a week. South River Vineyard is just across the way at 6062 S River Rd W, Geneva, OH 44041.