In 1998 and 1999 Bryan Barton shared his vision of viticulture with his family. In 2000 Bryan planted the first section of the vineyard at the site of the former Ashley Family Slaughterhouse and Dairy Farm.

Family members assisting in establishing the vineyard were Mary Jane Barton, Amy and Galen Logan, Steve and Linda Kay Dean, and Uncle Bill Dean.

Juan Acevedo and his family have nurtured and cared for the vineyard and each individual grapevine for almost 10 years.

According to Rebecca Flynt, Tasting Room Manager for Chisholm Trail Winery, "time moves differently with wine-grape growing. It is measured not in months or weeks but by seasons. There is a season for planting and a season for harvest and processing. A time for aging, and a time for bottling."

The grapes at Cherokee Rose require years of patient prodding to meet the winemaker’s exacting standards. Not until the third leaf (third growing season) are the grapes suitable for processing into wine.

On Saturday afternoon after all the Blanc du Bois were removed from the vines, the grapes were loaded on a refrigerated 18-wheeler and transported to Chisholm Trail Winery in Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country.

There, winemaker Paula K. Williamson will convert the grapes into prize-winning Texas wine. (www.chisholmtrailwinery.com)

Grape varieties produced at Cherokee Rose include Blanc du Bois, Lenoir, (Black Spanish) and Cynthiana.