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 John and Martha Ezzard at Tiger Mountain Vineyards. |
- John Ezzard
Dr. John Ezzard started planting grapes in 1995 on the 100-acre farm at Tiger Mountain where he was born.
John and Martha took their cues from a successful Virginia vineyard. They carefully selected the varieties of grapes suited to the climate of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains: the American Norton, and the vinifera red grapes of the Loire and Rhone River valleys of France: Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Tannat, Mourvedre and the white Viognier, as well as the Portuguese Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cao.
They installed a divided trellis system which allows an abundance of sun and air to move through the vines.
A few years later, Bill and Leckie Stack planted a vineyard at their apple orchard, also at Tiger Mountain. Like the Ezzards, the Stacks are finding the 2,000-foot altitude, mineral-rich soils and well-drained slopes the perfect terroir for impeccable fruit, the key to Tiger Mountain Vineyards' exceptional wines.