Barren Ridge Vineyards

Barren Ridge Vineyards
984 Barren Ridge Road
Fishersville, Virginia
USA 22939
Phone: (540) 248-3300
http://www.barrenridgevineyards.com

Contact: John & Shelly Higgs
Email: [email protected]

After almost 30 years in management at Philip Morris—several of those spent in Europe and the Middle East—John and Shelby Higgs decided it was time to come home to the Shenandoah Valley. Growing up on the apple orchard that his father purchased in 1934, John dreamed of far-away places, but as his children grew and his family’s farm became overgrown with weeds, John began to think of returning home. Living in Switzerland exposed him to European wines and the centuries-old traditions of grape growing and winemaking. John realized he could save his family’s neglected orchard and retire in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains where he had spent his childhood.

In 2007 the Higgs gathered dozens of friends to plant over an acre of European vinifera vines on the sloping hills of the family farm. He hired only local contractors to renovate the old barn and add a wing for winery production. For his first vintage he bought grapes from neighboring Virginia vineyards—viognier, traminette, vidal blanc, touriga, merlot, petit verdot, and cabernet franc. He bottled viognier, vidal blanc, traminette, touriga, and a Rosé in the spring of 2008 to prepare for the opening of the tasting room—scheduled for the end of April. The Higgs planted more vines in the spring of 2008 and will continue to plant a total of ten acres, including viognier, chardonnay, merlot, vidal blanc, petit verdot, and traminette.

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