Darcie Kent Vineyards

Darcie’s great, great grandfather, Fritz R. Ruegsegger, came to America with his family from Switzerland in 1875 to pursue a career in winemaking. In 1883, Fritz’s son and Darcie’s great grandfather, Christian Ruegsegger started his own winery, the Alpine Winery, in St. Joseph, Missouri, which held bond #62 in the United States. Along with managing the vineyards and all winemaking tasks, Christian hand painted his own wine labels. The Alpine Winery bottled its last wine in 1945, when hard times following the repeal of Prohibition forced the family to shut down operations.