Owner & Winegrower, Linden Vineyards, Ltd.
Winegrower, Hardscrabble Vineyard

An Ohio native, Jim was raised in the 1960s and 1970s by parents who loved to share their passion for food and wine. Study in Europe and two years’ teaching of agriculture as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire (Congo) led to the desire to grow grapes.

Jim’s first vineyard job was in Indiana where he traded work for a place to live. He then got a real job in Ohio at Chalet Debonne where he learned the nuts and bolts of grape growing and cellar work. In 1981 Jim was hired to start a winery in the Shenandoah Valley where he fell in love with the area and viticultural possibilities. In the mid 1980s, while establishing Linden Vineyards, he consulted for other wineries and taught winegrowing at local community colleges. He is currently obsessed with growing great wine and is happiest in the vineyard. When not amongst the vines he enjoys cooking, eating, and writing for trade publications.