Ever since the 1920s, the red door of a Sigma Phi Epsilon house has been a distinctive symbol of welcome and brotherhood. It invites brothers to gather around the table and celebrate life together, united around Virtue, Diligence and Brotherly Love.

While over 240,000 men have experienced Sigma Phi Epsilon while in college, only a small fraction of alumni are engaged with the Fraternity today. SigEp recently launched Red Door Opportunities for Alumni to provide alumni with opportunities to engage with other brothers, as well as to receive special benefits as a SigEp. 

One distinctive opportunity, the Red Door Wine Club, is an exciting way to reconnect with SigEp and celebrate life with the brothers, friends and family you hold dear. As a Red Door Wine Club member, you’ll be able to experience high-quality Napa Valley wine, packaged thoughtfully to represent the heritage and grandeur of Sigma Phi Epsilon. And as we celebrate our Fraternity together, it is our hope that alumni will invest their energy back into the SigEp experience for undergraduates today.

“Each bottle of wine tells a SigEp story — of our history, our founders, our firsts — and the brotherhood we’ve all found inside the red doors of Sigma Phi Epsilon,” said SigEp CEO Brian Warren, Virginia ’04. “I hope that this initiative re-engages alumni across the country and reminds them of the power of our Fraternity.” 

While paying homage to our past, the Red Door Wine Club is a celebration of our present and future as brothers. “‘A lifetime of brotherhood’ is about making friends for life,” said club member and past Grand President Norm Nabhan, Purdue ’71. “Over my 40 years as a SigEp, I have shared many glasses of wine with my brothers and spent weekends in Napa with SigEps that are winemakers and longtime friends. What could be better than a great glass of wine with a dear friend and brother?”

Since wine club membership opened in early February, hundreds of brothers and friends have signed up for delivery of the first shipment in late May. Club members can enjoy a selection of three wines, carefully chosen to represent our Fraternity’s heritage and traditions. Available varieties for the inaugural shipment include the Uncle Billy-inspired SigEp Icons Series: 2018 Red, as well as Serenade: 2019 Chardonnay and Golden Heart: 2018 Napa Valley Sparkling Brut. View full descriptions and tasting notes here.

“I joined the wine club because I liked the idea of receiving shipments of curated wines from a small vineyard in Napa while supporting the SigEp Educational Foundation at the same time,” said club member Darren Rodgers, Georgia ’84. “I thought the SigEp special label bottles (I can’t wait to try the Uncle Billy red!) would be great to serve when entertaining fellow alumni and giving as gifts.” 

SigEp is constantly searching for ways to provide value and connection for our alumni. This partnership with Fairwinds Estate Winery is one of many partners that provide unique benefits to the Fraternity’s alumni while giving tangible support to the SigEp’s programs. Similarly, the Red Door Wine Club will support the experience of current undergraduates: 20 percent of club proceeds go to the SigEp Educational Foundation to fund programs for the young men in our chapters today. Members will also enjoy exclusive access to wine tastings and invitations to other SigEp events — a unique opportunity to connect with other alumni and regularly engage with the Fraternity.  

Club member Ryan Denny, Stanford ’06, said, “I’ve recently reconnected with my chapter as a mentor, and I can see firsthand the value that SigEp is providing to young men in these unique and trying times. If I’m going to buy wine anyway, I might as well see 20 percent of the money I spend go to the Educational Foundation.”

Available to all Sigma Phi Epsilon alumni, friends and family 21 and over, the Red Door Wine Club features two six-bottle shipments of wine each year beginning in May 2021, with the opportunity to purchase additional wine as supplies last. You can join the club here.

The Red Door Wine Club is for alumni over 21 and is not being marketed to undergraduates. SigEp has long taught the importance of safe, responsible socializing.