K&M in Carlton

Ken Morrison and Mauro Hernandez of K&M Wines recently opened a tasting room located at 143 E. Main St., Carlton.

Their wine business grew out of Morrison’s hobby winemaking with a friend, according to Hernandez, who said several of them would get together for sampling.

Morrison bought his grapes from the vineyard on Parrett Mountain, which they eventually purchased. They discovered it was for sale when Morrison and Hernandez decided owning a vineyard would be fun while Hernandez was attending school to earn his PhD in San Francisco.

The property was secured in 2006 and K&M Wines opened in 2009.

“I’d never ridden a tractor - I grew up in Miami,” Hernandez explained. Fortunately, since Morrison had known the seller for some time, he has given them a lot of help as they delved into the science of farming.

They had decided they wanted to open a tasting room in Carlton and, with both having full-time jobs, were trying to find a location and figure out how they were going to make it work. That’s when Morrison received notification he had been laid off. That gave Morrison the opportunity to jump right in and focus on the new opportunity.

“It’s really worked out,” said Hernandez.

Regular hours are noon to 6 p.m., Thursday through Monday. For more information, visit www.kandmwines.com.