South River Vineyard

What a fantastic religious experience! 🙌 We visited the church, ahem, South River Winery, in Ohio last week for sacramental drinks with our friends. It's a sanctuary filled with joy and happiness. But thou was rebuked for thy sin and I paid thoust pennance ... at the price of $16 unholy dollars for thine beer. Forgive me, for I did not know what I was doing. 🤷‍♂️ Overall, it was an incredible time of worshiping nature, community, and of course, liquid manna from heaven. 🍷 So sayeth the shepherd, so sayeth the flock. 🤣 James 19:70

The autumn glow festival was amazing. It was fantastic time walking through the park with a loved one. We enjoyed each of the themes and taking pictures of them and with some of them. The acrobatic performance was very impressive and a great way to end the show. Bravo!!!

It was very nice. A little tricky using my wheelchair due to the gravel and it being at night. I also thought there would be more. But all in all a nice night out with the husband

Very picturesque, not a fancy winery but an interesting and enjoyable place . Cheese/bread plate is the only available items to eat however you can bring your items to enjoy with your wine.

Great layout! Indoor and outdoor seating. Really cool outdoor area. Easy parking. Really nice staff. Order wine at the bar then take it out and sit wherever. They also have other drinks. Definitely check it out

This is a unique and well-attended event. Our family very much enjoyed the entire display and the added booths and performances. The tricky part was getting there on the small country roads!

I really enjoyed Niccki and we had a very nice time! What a picturesque “church”!

Lights were very nice, quite a variety. Mother Nature helped by having the temperature at 68° in the middle of October!

I'm shocked I haven't reviewed South River by now... it's one of the best wineries in the area! The wines are wonderful but the property is absolutely beautiful. You can chill in the air conditioning and enjoy a basic charcuterie plate or you can sit at one of many covered picnic tables outside in the vineyard and you can bring a picnic lunch. My most recent visit was during the ice wine festival and the wines and chocolate were top notch. Bonus points for this adorable pup also enjoying the atmosphere. No NEO wine tour is complete without a stop at south river!

The vibe at South River is definitely unique! The winery is in an old church, and their patio overlooks the extensive grape arbors. This was the most crowded of the wineries we visited, and the patios were getting a bit cluttered, as there weren't really trash cans or anybody bussing the tables. I enjoyed the white flight, the Temptation was my favorite, and we shared a fruit and cheese plate with an apple, crackers, bread and a fantastic aged chedder. The apple was served whole, with a steak knife to carve it up yourself, on a Styrofoam plate, so didn't quite match the scenery and overall vibe, and a steak knife is not the right tool to cut a huge honeycrisp apple. So it was a nice snack, but could have been done a little better. FYI - the actual winery is not super accessible - steps up to the front door, the bathrooms are down a flight of stairs, and the outdoor areas for enjoying your wine are mostly accessed by stairs as well.

Its definitely worth visiting South River Vineyard for the location. The winery is a renovated old church. They have fun with the church theme with a cardboard cut out nun you can take your photo with. Exiting the back of the church you come upon a couple giant flight of stairs that could be a problem for some visitors. These stairs lead to a seating area up on a platform that feels like you are perched on part of a castle overlooking the fields of grapes. I must confess I'm not a wine expert. I enjoyed the flight of dry reds I ordered. My friend ordered the charcuterie board which had a huge wedge of bread and a very tasty cheese we kept begging for more tastes of.

This is a winery that looks like a church. There are even pews inside. Their patio is beautiful; it overlooks the vineyard. I really enjoy sitting outside here. They carry both sweet and dry wines. Their wines are good.

Very busy. Love to see this!! Part of the Halloween trail. Pumpkin Cheesecake was delicious. Such an old place. Filled with history. All kinds of church pews. Friendly and of course tasty wine.

To me, this is one of the most beautiful wineries in the Grand River. From my very first visits- it was serene and transcendent. I've designated this as if I get married again, it will be here. One look at the image and you'll see why. I visited and did a mini flight, as they change their offerings and I needed to get caught up! Usually it's Karma, Trinity and Exodus! Of course, biblical references to go with the beautiful environment. They also have a Pinot Noir and Semillion. I need to revisit the whites- as this visit I was feeling the reds, which usually are my go to here! I enjoy all parts of the seating areas here- but the pavilion with the fireplace is a autumn favorite. The picture I'm sending here rivals any vineyard in Napa. The view is astounding, the wine is decent and service friendly. This is a winery you must experience, it's one to immerse in its beauty.

I wasn't a big fan of South River Vineyard. Upon our arrival, the bartender was not welcoming at all. There were also no sparklings available. I ended up ordering their Saison which you couldn't just have a sample or glass, you had to order the entire bottle. Regardless it tasted terrible and I have had plenty of good tasting saisons to compare. The best part about this vineyard is the view. It is an old church and has some charm to it. There is a distillery within view so we actually walked to it and had a much better time there with friendlier bartenders.

I've never been to Napa, but I imagine it's a bit like South River. The wine was good, and the views were excellent. I like that there's a large shaded area overlooking the vineyards. SR is a must stop if you're in the area.

We visited 5 different wineries for my sister's bachelorette and South River Vineyard was everyone's favorite stop! The inside of the church was small, but we loved the patio. There was plenty of seating out there for our group of 10 and it was stunning with its high pillars and nice views of the vineyard. We tried a white wine and the Karma red wine and both were very good. Definitely recommend for the ambiance and views!

We stopped here in late fall and got to take in some beautiful autumn colors surrounding the vineyard. The winery itself is so unique! If you feel blasphemous drinking wine in an old church, just think of it as celebrating the Eucharist! I personally love to try as much as I can when visiting somewhere new and South River Winery offers wine flights and delivered the variety I was looking for! You can also take a stroll through the vineyard and visit the distillery next door that also has many delicious offerings! The grounds of South River Vineyard are absolutely gorgeous, and as pretty as it was in the fall, I can't wait to see it when I come back in the summer

What a beautiful setting. The building is an old church and there are beautiful windows with colored glass, and pews in the indoor tasting room. A lovely outdoor space with multiple patios overlooking the 50-acre vineyard. We really enjoyed the Karma wine, which is their blend of merlot and Cabernet. We also liked the Trinity (off-dry red blend).

Atmosphere was depressing last visit. We went at prime time and it was dead. Wine wasn't good. We hadn't planned to go here again. Now, friends just told us how the owner is psychotic. Screamed and yelled at them just as they pulled in. I thought they might be exaggerating but just read several reviews of the owner screaming at people. Some going back to 2012! I'll never go there again!

I stopped in for a wine tasting visit on a cool, overcast Tuesday afternoon a few weeks ago. This was my first visit to a winery in the State of Ohio... Not a lot of folks out on a Tuesday afternoon at the winery - so I had the opportunity to monopolize the time of the young lady serving up the wine tastings - which was awesome - because I like to ask lots of questions and learn about where ever I am visiting. She was very knowledgeable and in fact also has her own wine blog (she gave me her card an encouraged me to visit her blog). The young lady I interacted with was very personable and friendly - so I had a very different experience than other reviewers who state they were treated badly. I tasted: Cabernet Franc Exodus Karma Trinity All were very enjoyable! As others have noted, the winery is located in an old Church building, that was purchased for the costly sum of $1.00. Then taken apart and shipped to it's current location, and painstakingly reconstructed. Pretty amazing when you think about it! You can also order some beers here - for the non-wine drinkers (I am willing to taste everything - so not an issue for me!). There is plenty of seating inside and out - out back is a covered pavilion area overlooking the vineyard. You can see their sister operation next door - Red Eagle Distillery. #SouthRiverVineyard

Wine was very good, great selection and the view from this place is beautiful, and if you felt like lounging, they have full patio furniture at the bottom under shade.

The old church look was pretty but there were several loud bachelorette parties visiting which ruin the romantic feel of the place. There was a super small bar where they ask you want and send you on your way. When we asked for a suggestion they said we already had their favorites. The parking wasn't the best and we were rudely asked to move our Corvette staying that "people who think they're special park here", just not very necessary and could've been stated in a much nicer way since we were in the process of moving it anyway.

It's a wonderful winery & staff is very friendly. I only tried 2 different wines & bought 2 out of 3. The Rose & Pinot Grigio.

Came here with my wife on a recent trip to Geneva. We stopped here as it was very close to one of our other favorite spots. It was very average overall. Nothing to dislike, but nothing to wow either. The idea of the church and the Parthenon style outdoor structure is very cool, especially while overlooking the vineyard. Nothing wrong here, but not at the top of our list to return.

I have never been treated so poorly by management in my entire life! I will never go back to this winery. The owner was beyond disrespectful to my entire group and screamed at grown adults. After reading some of these reviews, looks like it is a common theme.

By far my favorite winery here. The atmosphere is amazing!!! Such a beautiful view and good wines! Loved the Pinot Grigio.

Really cool concept. A winery in a church of course worth checking out. Not to mention the outside seating with pillars and a view making it feel like you were elsewhere. Compared to other wineries in the area the selection of wines was limited but the concept and outside area were pretty cool and worth experiencing.

Love the wine and the setting. Service is great too. One of the places we stop at every year.

This is a beautiful setting for a winery. Theres indoor seating inside an old renovated church. The outdoor seating has an Greek revival type structure with pillars that look out onto the vineyard. Theres plenty of seating inside and out. I also noticed another charming area which had a fire pit. The wine is good and cheese and bread plates generous. Definately a must stop!

Stopped here on a girl's weekend Geneva winery tour. I love that this winery is an old church- it's pretty unique and very beautiful. We sat inside, so I didn't get to check out the outside area that much. It was a little chaotic inside. They offered wine flights, but the glasses were odd and they were really finger printed and honestly looked a little dirty. I went with a glass of white semi-sweet wine and enjoyed it. The wine glass was really pretty- showcasing their name. Unfortunately, out of all of the wineries we visited we were the least impressed with this spot overall. However, I would consider coming back and checking out the outdoor area. Another thing to note is this place is more laid back in terms of attire of the guests, which can be really nice, depending on what type of experience you're looking for.

Who knew that such a place existed in Ohio! I have visited several wineries in Geneva, but South River Vineyard is by far the most beautiful. The inside is an old church and the grounds are absolutely breathtaking. I came to this winery as part of a shuttled wine tour and this was our last stop. After visiting 3 wineries prior... I was all wined out. So one of the things that I really appreciated about this winery was that they carried craft beer. It was a nice option and a much needed break from the wine. I did purchase a bottle of their wine and enjoyed it at a later date!

This was a really unique stop on the ice wine trail! The building was an old church converted into the winery. The bar was directly inside on the right side of the building. The old pew benches were used as seating in part of the building with small round tables set up in the center. There were other small tables scattered throughout the "sanctuary" section as well as where the pulpit would have been. This place offered two types of ice wines with a pairing of an apple cider donut from a local orchard. The blush ice wine may have been one of my favorites on the trail! It was sweet but loaded with flavor. The concord ice wine was just okay. It appeared people brought in their own food which makes this place more appealing. Behind the church building, there appeared to be a pavilion that was converted into seating for the warmer days. It was not in use when we were there as the temperatures were in the mid thirties but it looked like a fun place to be when the weather is nice! I really enjoyed this place and I could see myself returning if we come back to Geneva.

Tasted here yesterday for the Ice Wine Festival. It's a lovely setting & the woman conducting the tastings was friendly & knowledgeable. We felt welcome & appreciated. Their ice wine was delicious as was the truffle. They also played great music! Only downside was the muddy parking area. Perhaps they could put down some more gravel? Overall great place to visit.

Amazing atmosphere.. and yeah the wine too.. We had this place on our list but had no idea what to expect. The place is a church. I first thought oh they purchased the church. No, they had it built to be the winery. It's amazing inside. The wine was very good on everything that we tried. We got some wine and took it outside and drank on a nice warm day.

My wife and I love the view of the vineyards from this winery. It was her birthday so we had brought our own cake which they permit here. I got a glass of their Karma wine. I usually either get the Karma or the Trinity. My glass of wine was undrinkable, I don't know what happened because this is the first time I've experienced this here. I will try them again, but if this happens, I will be more vocal to them.

This place is loaded with character. The fact that it's set in an old church is crazy cool. Their patio out back is just as cool. It was probably the busiest winery we went to over the weekend. They don't serve food, but had a food truck. There was also a band playing outside, and the outdoor areas are dog friendly.

Beautiful winery indoors and out. Friendly staff. Allowed our small dog to sit outside. Wonderful wine and cheese plate. We will be back.

Great venue. But the wine was amateur, the place felt dirty, and the staff was uninspired. When they handed us six spotted wine glasses, I asked for clean glasses and was told "they are all like that because we have hard water". WTH!? The winery next door did not give us dirty glassware for their products. These folks are just putting in the effort to do things properly. The grounds and buildings and overall setting is nice. They just need to extend that to the full customer experience.

Beautiful location. Wonderful views. Really enjoyed the area and the "Parthenon" patio that we enjoyed our wine and cheese plate.

I want to increase the rating here because we consistently enjoy coming to this winery and the wines have been enjoyable. My previous review is more detailed and holds true. To the proprietors: Please consider getting better glasses here. They are way too small for experiencing most wines. Also, after my last visit, please don't let limo buses park down the back hill by your patio running their air. It was extremely loud and distracting from your gorgeous setting. It went on for over an hour!

Beautiful winery in an old church. The atmosphere is one of the best in the region. Good selection of wines that were all pretty solid. Staff was very friendly.

While Laurello or Ferrante are my end of the day spots when driving Ohio Wine Country, South River is always the first stop. You can't beat drinking wine in a church (in quantities greater than the Eucharist.......why do I feel the need for a trip to Confession or at least a couple of Hail Mary's?). Their setting is beautiful. The interior of the church is nice and if the weather is cooperating, there is a deck that overlooks the vineyards and a pavilion out back to escape the sun. As for the wines, I always enjoy a glass of the dry Riesling. From year-to-year, it never seems to disappoint. I have tried the reds, but they don't do it for me. Their Ice Wine is generally the cheapest in the area, is quite good, and understandably is usually sold out. They participate in the Ice Wine Fest during the first couple of weekends in March. That's your best chance of getting their Ice Wine.

We very much enjoyed our trip to this beautiful little winery. It's in a gorgeous church. And! You get to sip your wine in an old church pew! I mean, how cool is that!? They had the biggest variety in the area, though they did seem to discourage tastings. In general, I would rather be charged for tastings than be guilted into buying a glass. But all of that aside, I really enjoyed this place! They offer "free" tastings, but really only seem to want you to have one or two before you buy a glass. The Creation wine is very good! As is one of the Riesings. I had the Pinot Noir, but was not very impressed by it. It's definitely worth the experience of stopping! We liked our visit a lot and would stop again!

The place is absolutely beautiful. I don't mind their wines, but they aren't my favorite Ohio wines. I do really like their bottle designs though. The set-up of the bar is not ideal. They don't make it very easy to taste several wines before deciding what to order, and I always feel rushed to make a decision. The worst thing about this place is the lack of food options. They offer just one thing - a laughable $8 cheese plate. It's served on a paper plate with an apple (unripe, that was probably plucked from a nearby tree), a handful of Hershey's Kisses, an unappetizing block of grocery store cheese, and a microwaved (yikes!) hunk of bread. Also, it was assembled by a child who couldn't have been more than 9 or 10 years old, which seemed odd. Overall, I guess I'm pleased that they don't do a better job with this place because then it would get too crowded and ruin the atmosphere. I'll still keep coming back just for the scenery.

I really love that this winery is in a beautiful church with beautiful grounds that overlook their vineyards. My friend even said, "this is the closest I am going to get to Napa this year". The wines here are good but I didn't find any of them to be outstanding. With that said, that is my only downfall here. I ordered a tasting flight including their dry riesling, Cab, Exodus and Karma. The exodus would have to be my favorite out of the four. I also like that you can bring in your own food here. This winery is one that you could end up staying for hours just for the beautiful landscape.

I think we like it here for the terrace and the views. The building is bare bones, and we have never had anybody that works there have a personality or really even care that we are there. Although I love their bottle labels, the wine isn't really all that good for my palate. We did a tasting of 4 different wines and couldn't find one we liked. Definitely come here in the summer as outside is so pretty. Perfect setting for a wedding.

South River Vineyard is surrounded by an endless view of vineyards, farm land, and a beautiful sunset. A lot of outdoor seating that takes you into a totally different location. I loved that you could explore the vineyard, take pictures with the grapes, and explore the property. The Winery itself takes you back in time. If you're looking for a place to take photos and be close to the vines pick this place. If you're a total wine snob maybe save this place for last. It was $8 for a glass filled to the rim of dry red wine. In my opinion dry wasn't the best description word. Saweeeeeeeeet red. My friend discovered the flight option. I wish the server would of told us about that one...bummer. I not a wine snob and I enjoy a lot of space for dancing if needed when the wine kicks in. This place was hands down my favorite. Great place for large group!

The atmosphere of this church makes South River very unique. Everyone has always been friendly. The pews are still in place. This is my favorite winery in Northeast Ohio and I always snag a few bottles of Chardonnay. There are two pavilions behind the quaint church that overlook their gorgeous vineyard, and we always bring a picnic lunch. However, if preplanning isn't your style- you can have a cheese plate that pairs nicely with the wine flights. Their wine glasses are gorgeous and I am absolutely going to purchase one at our next visit!

my friends and I participated in a winery tour here for a Bachelorette party, and it was a blast! I loved their sweet wines, and their wine slushies are amazing! the staff and owners are incredibly friendly!

Very friendly and welcoming. Atmosphere is excellent with great views of the vineyard. Our favorite red was Trinity

My wife and I have visited here twice. Once when we were driving by on the expressway on our way back from a trip (it was a Sunday afternoon). The second time was when we stayed at a B&B just down the street and we wanted to give it another shot. Atmosphere, decor, building: A+ Wines: C Service: C I love this building and the property. The back patios are amazing, with spectacular views both by day and at night. The building is a former church so it's unique to any winery I've been to (and I've been to quite a few). I was so impressed when I walked into the building, the entire layout, and the decor. I was equally impressed when I walked about to the patio and felt like I was outside of a castle. So impressive. However, neither time I was there was I impressed by the service. It was standard, here are your drinks, next customer. Not overly welcoming. This is something they really need to work on, considering how much competition they have in the direct area. The wines were not terribly impressive either. There aren't any I can directly recommend, everything was A-ok as my overall review suggests. I wouldn't seek out their wines in a store, and I would probably only go back here to show somebody new how cool the property is.

What a cool building! Service was great! View was so nice! Great place to stop along the wine trail!

My favorite winery of the bunch. No winery in this area can beat the views that South River has to offer. The winery is set inside of an old church and has breathtaking views. There is plenty of outdoor seating at this winery so if you go I recommend doing it when it is warm enough to sit outside. The inside has some seating, using old pew benches. They don't really offer food here. So I would encourage you to grab food somewhere prior to this. Most times when I have came here they only have a few people working as well. I come here mostly for the views and the Chardonnay.

I am really surprised by the ratings here. This is a must stop whenever we are up this way. As a matter of fact, we are sitting here now as we are just passing through because if I'm this close, I'm stopping for some take home bottles! Their wine far exceeds any of the big names in the region, just the right amount of sweet but formidable dry wines too. The setting is beautiful and the church house unique. Fellow Yelpers, this is the one time I'd tell you to come check it out for yourself, despite the reviews you see here. You won't be disappointed!!

I cannot say enough about the utter beauty of this little Geneva winery. You walk up and the first thing you lay your eyes upon is a gorgeous, old church. It was actually transported to this location and turned into a lovely place where you can sip South River Wines and nibble on your own snacks. Around back, you see this most insanely romantic, gorgeous patio of sorts--lit up warmly and so inviting. It appears to be the perfect place to have a dream wedding. Then finally, beyond the patio lies a stone fire place, covered by a roof with wisteria vines crawling up and seats to cuddle up in. Essentially, this place would be the ideal place to spend a chilly fall evening, enjoying the fire and a glass of South River's delicious wine. Or at least, it seemed. It wasn't the service, vino, ambiance or location that ruined this place for us. In fact, it was the rudeness of the owner that did our night in. My parents and I were enjoying a basket full of cheeses and grapes from home with a couple bottles of wine from South River. We sat outside by the fire and by a large group of people who were already there. Apparently they had built a fire with their own wood and had also brought in some beer. I'm a very understanding person, so I can see why the beer from outside was a no-no. But, instead of the owner walking over to the group and talking to us calmly, he was enraged, rude and lumped the entire group of us into one. He shut the lights off on us, leaving us in pitch darkness (which was dangerous) and yelled at everyone. He treated us all like we were crap and called us "wild animals". Really?? My parents and I did nothing to deserve that treatment! We were just calmly chatting and hanging out by the fire, following the rules. We didn't bring in anything we weren't allowed to, and for that, we were screamed at and essentially kicked out with the other group. We respected his wishes and left, heading over to our favorite nearby winery. The atmosphere was warm, friendly and inviting--a complete 180 from South River. I've never felt so unwelcomed and wronged before and to top it off, this owner has a history of flipping his lid on customers. Although this winery is gorgeous, I cannot see myself returning unless I was apologized to by the owner. The staff, wine and location was great besides him, which is why I give them 2 stars.

Beautiful view, excellent dry reds. But honest, why are the people working there acting like you're a nuisance on a Sunday? Came here on a Sunday and felt bad for making the workers busy- they were very up front about making sure you knew they were unhappy to be working.