Follow Our Journey

We Invite You to come along with us as we embark on a journey… our dream to establish a vineyard… our “Little Burgundy” in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We’ve ordered our vines, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, varieties that hail from the Burgundy region of France, the land of my ancestors. Fitting that my sister, Cindy, would want to join Dennis and me in this endeavor, perhaps returning to our historical roots via the roots of the vines we’ll be planting a continent away.

Terroir, Bugs and “Wooly Weeders” We’ve hired a world-renowned vineyard consultant, Lucie Morton Garrett, who feels our vineyard site “has the right stuff” to produce outstanding wines … our elevation, soil components, aspect to the sun… in short, our “terroir”. We will apply “biodynamic” farming practices, a step beyond organic. I like to think of it as connecting with the earth, spirit to spirit. In our meager three acres, we will also grow an assortment of wildflowers, fruit trees, vegetables, and thick ground-covers to attract the multitude of beneficial insects that will feed upon the nectars and pollinate our gardens. And most importantly, these insects feed on the bad bugs we don’t want in the vineyard/garden. Our small flock of sheep will be our “wooly weeders”, grazing on the grasses and weeds. And our Italian Maremma guard-dog, Dan, has his job, to protect our little flock.

Come Along With Us
On this blog you will be able to read about our life as city transplants in the country, of the vineyard, the sheep and our dear Dan, of starlit nights where fireflies and the stars above create one giant glittering palette, of country neighbors, of birth and death. As the country vet said to me one cold winter’s night after the death of our three-legged lamb, “If you are going to have livestock, you are going to have deadstock”. I’ve had to remind myself of that too many times.

We are excited as we enter this next phase of our life, when the retirement years will grace us with days rich with time. We smile at the thought of our grandchildren and their children gathering for the holidays in years to come, and pulling from their wine cellar a cob-webbed, dusty bottle of a vintage 2010 Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir…and glasses are raised and a toast is offered to the year their ancestors first harvested the fruit of their dreams. We invite you to share in this journey so that one special evening you too can sit around your table with friends and family and sip the wines from the vines whose journey you followed…. From “Ankida”, (An Kee' Da) our little piece of heaven on earth.

Christine Wells Vrooman

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Coming This Spring!
The months of April and May will be filled with new life! We expect many deliveries... the births of our spring lambs, the arrival of our new Maremma female puppy who is expected to be born in northern New York around Feb. 23rd, and of course, the delivery of the vines themselves which we will begin planting on Sunday, May 11th with the help of all the family... Cindy's three grown children, our four children and our two baby grandsons. Even the two Great-Grandfathers will be there planting a vine or two... Four generations... a Mother's Day gift like no other! It warms our hearts... and brings a smile to my face.

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contact@ankidaridge.com

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Cheers to one and all!


Christine & Dennis Vrooman
Ankida Ridge Farm & Vineyard
Amherst, VA

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