Tales of Harvest and Wine

The Marker Ranch & Vineyard is a small family operated wine grape farm and winery.  We have been in operation for six years, growing little by little.  We operate a 1/4 acre vineyard in Argyle, TX and hand make meritage red wine.  We have wone three medals over the past three years in competition with the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association in conjunction with the Texas Department of Agriculture.  Two years ago we bought 90 acres in the Grasslands, in Alvord, TX where we planted an acre of Shiraz.

My family gets the credit for what we have built.  My wife Becky, daughters Karen Field and Karla Rogers and my special friend and son Travis Rogers, have been the backbone for where we have come.  We are ready for a new beginning.

 The 2009 Harvest in Texas for the Marker Ranch & Vineyard is in the books.  Not the greatest volume of fruit production but quality was better than the last two years.  We were hit with two late spring frosts and hail storms that whacked the crap out of the fruit, damaged new growth and who knows what it has done to next years crop.

For insurance I bought one ton of zin (2000 lbs) which I processed and is fermenting nicely as we speak.  We hope to get 140 gallons from that ton to go with the 50 gallons I processed from our 1/4 acre home vineyard.  We do what we must to preserve the future and to enjoy the past.