Ankida Ridge

Ankida Ridge is a family wine business in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Amherst County, Virginia, founded by Christine Wells Vrooman, with Nathan as winemaker. Ampelographer and vineyard consultant Lucie Morton helped establish the small vineyard, and its first vintage was the 2010 Pinot Noir.

On Chestnut Ridge at an elevation of 1,825 feet, the vineyard grew from under two acres to six. Black rot prompted an approach called La Lutte Raisonnée, balancing grape production with environmentally sensitive practices. Sheep graze and supply manure for compost, while chickens feed on vineyard insects and honeybees help pollinate fruit trees and gardens. Gamay Noir undergoes malolactic fermentation and nine months of ageing on the lees in French oak. Its wines include Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir.