By Sage Merritt

Published: May 3, 2008

W hen John Higgs and his wife, Shelby, lived in Switzerland, something quickly endeared them to the European countryside.
“It was so much like this area,” John Higgs said. “The landscape was very similar.”
John Higgs was born and raised in Staunton, and spent quite a bit of his time at his father’s apple orchards in Augusta County near Fishersville. After being drafted into the Army in 1961, Higgs found his calling as an engineer, later landing a job working for Phillip-Morris in Europe. During John’s time in Switzerland, the Higgs lived in a vineyard, gaining a knowledge of wine from their European surroundings.
“We fell in love with the idea of vineyards there,” John said. “We lived a half an hour from the French border, and Switzerland itself has its own wine industry. I got interested in the whole process. It’s easy to do when you live in Europe, to get enticed into the whole wine culture. So somewhere along the line we got the idea that it was something we could do with the old man’s property.”
Four years later, on 33 acres of land near Fishersville where John’s father’s apple orchards once stood, the Higgs have opened the first-ever winery in Augusta County.
Barren Ridge Vineyards, which celebrated its grand opening last week, currently sells wines made from local grapes, including a red and three whites, from a renovated apple-packing shed that has become the vineyard’s tasting room and winery. The building looks out on Barren Ridge’s own vineyards, which the Higgs began planting last spring.
“It took us four years to get to where we are,” John Higgs said. “It took two years to clear all the brush and get down to bare earth for planting. We planted two varieties last spring, a petit verdot and a merlot, and started renovating the building here. We just added on a wing for winemaking.”
The Higgs were assisted by two consultants — renowned viticulturalist Christopher Hill and winemaker Michael Shaps — who helped John start the process of developing Barren Ridge’s wine. In addition, another helping hand walked on to the property one day to offer his services.
“I’m smart enough to know what I don’t know,” Higgs said. “And last year, when we were still under renovation and working on the vineyards, a young man showed up, and he said, ‘Do you need some help?’ ”
The young man, Christof Viebler — a 21-year-old German winemaker — lives in Waynesboro, here on an exchange program.
“I could have kissed him,” Higgs said. “He’s an extremely nice young man, almost inhuman in his work ethic. He’s an excellent wine maker. He’s going to be here through the end of July, with me through the end of June. He’s advanced my program at least three years.”
John Higgs plans to begin bottling wine from grapes grown in their own vineyard as soon as the plants are matured, which should take another year or so. In the meantime, the Higgs and their employees will continue to develop the winery. They have hopes to eventually host weddings and other events on the grounds and experiment further with the wine-making process.
“I’ve really grown to love it,” John Higgs said. “It’s quite a place.”