About Us
Moonlight Ridge Vineyard is a family owned  business featuring a beautiful tasting room with a cathedral ceiling showcasing a fifteen- foot tall stone fireplace, hardwood floors, glass table tops, and an expansive deck overlooking our six- acre working vineyard. New to Moonlight Ridge and unique to Nebraska, our must-see outdoor pavilion sets us apart from all the others.

History
Moonlight Ridge Vineyard Inc. is owned and operated by Darin and Karen Placke along with our children Briana, Bishop, and Braxton. Our inspiration began on our honeymoon to the Napa Valley in 1998. We fell in love with the beauty of the vineyards and wanted to bring it back home with us to Nebraska. The following spring we planted eight vines to begin learning what it took to be a vinter.  Our dream was modest at first with thoughts  of growing a few rows in front of our house as a hobby. As luck would have it, land that had been in the Placke family for years went up for auction in 2003. We were thrilled to be able to buy it and keep it in the family. Life got busy, and it wasn't until a year later that we began pursuing our dream. With easy access from U.S. Hwy 281 and only a six-minute drive north of  Grand Island, we knew we had an ideal location to make our dream into something more than just a hobby.  Meanwhile, we proved to ourselves, from our ongoing test plot, that grape vines thrive on our sandy loam soil while basking in Nebraska’s sunlight.  We took a field with a history of corn, watermelons, and pumpkins and turned it into a six acre vineyard. After many nights of laboring in the vineyard well after dark, under the beauty of the shimmering moon, Moonlight Ridge seemed to be a fitting name.

The Placke family at Moonlight Ridge Vineyard looks
forward to seeing you soon.

Moonlight Ridge Vineyard
8150 North Hwy 281
Grand Island, NE 68803

Phone: (308)  381-2337