Build a House, Start a Vineyard

Build a House, Start a Vineyard

August 23, 2021 | Member features
Just north of the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, sits a beautiful five-acre winery in a residential area. Marc and Pamela Rowe, owners of Rowe Ridge Vineyard and Winery, planted the winery’s first vines in 2005 and have been diligently tending to their grapes ever since.
 
The Rowes built their house in 2000 with the idea of having a bed & breakfast. Marc wanted to plant something that would be pretty scenery for visitors. “At that time Kansas Department of Agriculture was promoting the growing of grapes,” Pamela said.
 
In 1881 Kansas went into prohibition which was still in effect in Kansas until 1948, and liquor sales were still heavily regulated until 1986. “There were 7000 acres of grapes in Kansas in the 1890 census, and we now have 440,” Pamela said. “It’s taking us a long time to recreate our industry.”
 
This was the reason the Rowes chose to grow grapes, and Marc decided he would rather have a winery than sell the grapes. By 2007 they were a commercial winery.
 
“We have dry wines made from our estate grapes,” Pamela said. These include Norton, Chambourcin, St. Vincent, Chardonel and Sayval Blanc.
 
They also have a variety of semi-sweet and sweet wines. “We have a line of wines we call the Rowe Family Wines which are a semi sweet white, red and rose.” They also grow Concord grapes, and make apple, blackberry and pear wines from fruit derived from other Kansas growers.
 
Last year, they began replanting and replacing vines, and even added a new variety which will be made into wine next year. Since Rowe Ridge Winery is smaller in size the grapes are different every year, so the wines are different every year as well. “That’s just the nature of how the grapes grow and when they get picked,” Pamela said.
 
In 2012 the Rowes built a tasting room. “When you come to our winery, you’re also coming to our vineyard. We do tastings every day, all the time when we’re open,” Pamela said. The Rowes hope all their visitors look forward to enjoying their wines while sitting on their porch.
 
Pamela said they have had people from across the country visit the vineyard, and even some visitors from China, New Zealand and Japan.
 
At Rowe Ridge Vineyard and Winery, they try to focus on individual customers and create the best experience for each one, whether this means spending time with customers while they enjoy wine on the porch or talking to them about the art of wine making. “The goal is to be able to have a little bit of personal conversation with each person while they’re having their wine tasting,” Pamela said.
 
Not only do they have a tasting room, but they also host many events. In September they host harvest events, recruiting up to 25 volunteers to come out and help pick grapes. The event ends with lunch with wine and slushies. Check out the Rowe Ridge Vineyard and Winery Facebook page to sign up for harvest.
 
During the first weekend of October, they also participate in the Kaw Valley Farm Tour. Other activities they’ve hosted include vendor events, dog adoptions, and painting days. They also host business and networking events. When networking groups began getting back together, it was convenient for Rowe Ridge to host them since they had an outdoor space where they could social distance. Consider them for your next business outing!
 
In the fall, they focus on winemaking, and since their winery has been commercial since 2007, they are typically selling wines that are three to four years old.
 
“We try to focus on having several years of wine in the bottle, so that we don’t run out of wine, and we can let the wine mature in the bottle, particularly reds,” Pamela said. Typically, they let their red wines mature about four to five years before bringing them out to sell.
 
On the vineyard, Pamela supervises the summer work crew, and does much of the manual labor in the vineyard. Marc does much of the spraying and mowing that needs to be done. Regarding the winery, Pamela is the supervisor and manager, and deals with the finances. Pamela is also the winemaker, while Marc does much of the racking and filtering for bottling the wines.
 

“One of the things I’ve learned since I’ve been in this business is that we’re actually in three different businesses. We’re a grower, a producer, and a retailer,” Pamela said. Marc and Pamela have faced challenges that come with running three small businesses, but they seem to have found ways to make it work.

Rowe Ridge Vineyard and Winery is part of the Kaw Valley Wine Trail. They are open Thursday through Sunday from 12:00-5:00 p.m.

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