CONNEAUT — Mark Havel hopes his green plan to revitalize a foreclosed Conneaut farm will put him in the black with some superior reds and whites.

Havel and his wife, Michele, own Domaine Marchele Vineyards on Keefus Road. Three years ago, this tired seven-acre farm was in foreclosure, its rolling hills overgrown with brush and the house and granary near collapse. Mark and Michele have restored the granary, rehabilitated the house, started construction of an auxiliary farm building and planted 1,000 grapevines. They recently closed on a five-acre parcel near the farm, land that will provide additional room for vineyards and the retail outlet they want to build for their boutique winery operation.

Their plan is to have an entirely green, sustainable retail operation powered by wind and solar energy. Mark says it won’t be the typical entertainment winery but a place for serious wine lovers to con-

nect with Domaine Marchele’s unique high-quality products.

“It’s not directed toward the local market,” Mark says.

Both Mark and Michele are Realtors, who enjoy digging in the dirt as much as they do selling it. Mark grew up in a family dairy operation and quickly swore off farming as a career, but after working as a Realtor on a complex winery sale, he became interested in the industry. He started talking to several vineyard owners in the Thompson area and got excited about the potential. He also began looking for land that could help him fulfill his new interest.

He found that land in Conneaut, just a short distance from the pioneering Markko Vineyard of Arnulf Esterer. Mark became friends with Esterer and also tapped into the Ohio Ashtabula Agricultural Research Station’s wealth of information to help him launch the project on what had been a small family farm.

Mark says there is untapped potential on the rolling hills south of Conneaut. The land has good drainage to Conneaut Creek and views of Lake Erie, something old-timers always listed as a guarantee of good growing conditions.

“Once you start looking at this, you see this is a very nice area to do this sort of thing,” he says. “Compared to where we came from, this is ridiculously cheap. I’m surprised more people don’t get off the sofa and do something like this.”

About the same time, he met Michele and enlisted her to dig holes and clear brush from what would become their joint venture. The name Marchele is a marriage of their first names.

“Any woman that would come out and dig in the dirt with me on the weekends had to be of extremely high quality,” said Mark. “I knew her six weeks and proposed to her.”

They were married in March 2007, less than a year after Mark closed the deal on the old farm. They share a dream of retiring into a career of raising grapes and making wine, but they are taking the long route to get there.

The Havels say they can afford to take their time because they didn’t borrow money to start the operation.

“This whole thing is not propped up on credit,” he says. “We don’t have debt service on this venture.”

With the luxury of having time on their side, the winery will produce estate wines, only from grapes grown at Domaine Marchele, from the first bottle.

“We have no intention of making wine from anyone else’s grapes,” he said. “It’s not in harmony with the spirit of this place.”

Further, Mark is propagating every vine he plants. His belief is that to get the best possible match of quality and hardiness for his vineyard’s unique conditions, he must have the flexibility to mix and match the optimum rootstock to the scion, or fruit-producing part of the plant.

“The motivation is to be able to have the flexibility to see what grows well in which site, and to fine-tune it to the land,” he says. “It’s easier to go out and buy grafted rootstock … but we’re in no hurry.”

He is using rootstock varieties commonly employed by area vineyards, as well as a variety he found growing along a Markko fence row. Mark also grafts scions onto wild-grape rootstock he finds growing around the farm.

“By doing it the way we do it, we create our own little plant, stick in the ground where it’s going to grow and grow, and not disturb it any further,” Mark said.

Mark grafts onto this rootstock unusual varieties previously not attempted in this region. One area of concentration is growing reds that can be blended. For example, the Havels are attempting to grow tempranillo, a black Spanish grape often referred to as Spain’s “noble grape.”

“The whole idea was to focus on quality red blends,” Mark says. Typically, red blends have been used by vineyards as a way to dispose of their mediocre wine. He wants to elevate northeast Ohio reds to the quality of Bordeaux blends, or better.

The other area of focus is muscat, a white variety largely shunned by area vineyards.

A few table grapes and black currants round out their plantings.

The couple’s plan is produce their first vintage in 2010. Red wines need several years in the barrel, so it will be awhile before people are sipping Domaine Marchele while watching lake freighters glide across the horizon. If the wine isn’t up to Mark Havel’s high standards, he’ll dispose of it rather than sell it.

“We would rather produce something that’s good rather than have to release something mediocre just to make ends meet,” Mark said.