Founding & Managing Partner

Ken was born in New York City and educated as an engineer. IBM moved him and his family to Vermont in 1969 and Ken developed a passion for grape growing after planting a few grape vines in his suburban backyard. In 1998 he retired from making computer chips and made the jump to full-time, commercial scale grape growing and winemaking. As an early pioneer in cold-climate grape growing and after considerable experimentation in the vineyard, he came to grow Minnesota hybrids only. Shelburne Vineyard, under the direction of winemaker Ethan Joseph, strives for excellence in the now 16-acre vineyard, growing grapes sustainably, and making the best wine possible in their LEED-certified winery. Seventy percent of wines sales are direct to the public; the rest are sold within Vermont and neighboring states.

Every day is a learning experience in the wine world. Experimentation has led to successful new products under the Shelburne Vineyard label, wines packaged in cans under the Capsize label, wines with minimum intervention and wild ferments under their new Iapetus label. Ken is seeking out the best possible variations in the vinification of these emerging new cold-hardy varieties.