Derrill and Lori Rice

A growing appreciation for wine and a unique opportunity to preserve a piece of history, sent the Rice family "to the farm" and fueled the creation of Grassy Creek Vineyard and Winery. Although Derrill continues to cultivate his life's work as a general manager in the textile industry, now he's often spotted in muddy work boots sporting a farmer's tan. Lori Rice and their children Caroline and Austin are all engaged in the hands - on work of planting a vineyard and developing a winery.

In Lori's family, gatherings featuring her mother's elaborate meals were the fabric of life weaving memories of family fellowship around the dinner table. Derrill has often played the role of entertainer performing as a magician, cooking for friends, or hosting business dinners with clients. Eager to learn more about wines and the ways in which they enhance the dining and entertainment experience, he began an educational process that included reading Wine Spectator magazine, studying selected course work, and of course - tasting wine. Sampling and reading about wines fostered a growing appreciation for wine and its industry, which was shared by Lori. And since the Rice family has always enjoyed entertaining family and friends in their home, a carefully selected wine list began to accompany such events.

Grassy Creek Vineyard and Winery is being developed on a unique, historic property known in the Elkin, NC, area as the Klondike Farm. Dating back to the 1930's, Klondike Farm has been a dairy farm, hunting camp, and vacation retreat that was originally owned by the Hanes (hosiery) and Chatham (textiles) families. While serving as President of Chatham Inc., Derrill used the property for customer entertainment and hospitality. Due to the downsizing of the North Carolina textile industry, the property was put up for sale. Seeking to preserve this property and its heritage within the Elkin community, the family purchased the property and began developing a hospitality and wine business around this noted landmark.

The entire family works in this endeavor, even though Lori works as a Montessori teacher and Austin (13) and Caroline (17) spend much of their time engaging in sports, music, dance, theatre when they're not devoting time to school. As a teacher with a Master's Degree in early childhood development, Lori is in the business of nurturing the development of young children, planting the seeds for great things to come. She finds many similarities in the vineyard. Caring for and nurturing a young vine, protecting it from pests and disease, and watching it grow to bear rich and productive fruit, is a lot like teaching - both a rewarding and challenging experience. Lori especially enjoys the new experience of hands - on work that leads to a refined finished product - wine.

Neither Derrill nor Lori is a stranger to the physical requirements of hard labor in the vineyard. Lori, an aerobics instructor, and Derrill, an American record holder in power lifting, have always included exercise as part of their daily lives. Derrill learned the value of hard physical work early in life as a dishwasher, roofer, and yardman. Business management and teaching are certainly hard work, but the vineyard offers the opportunity to escape the confines of an office or a classroom for physically challenging work in beautiful surroundings.

Caroline and Austin have inherited much of their parents' strong work ethic, if not through their DNA, then certainly through experience. Both children have been instrumental in the planning for and planting of the rootstock for grape vines. As "queen of the spray paint", Caroline carefully measures 7 foot sections of perfectly spaced rows and marks each planting location. Holding a whistle between her teeth, she watches the tractor pulling her father and brother on an old tobacco planter. Austin plucks rootstock from the box he is sitting in and hands it to his father who drops each plant into the augured hole, precisely when the whistle blows. For only the whistle blower can see the spray paint marked holes and her precision determines whether plants will have the optimum location in which to spread their roots.

Planting acres of vines, pulling weeds, guiding the upward growth of stems with carefully placed growth tubes and training the vines with wires, are just a few of the vineyard cultivation details. Viticulture parallels child development in remarkable ways. Derrill and Lori nurture an appreciation for the value of hard work with their children, by paying them for work they do over and above the expected house chores and then requiring a 50% investment in special treats they wish to enjoy, like summer camp and a backyard trampoline.

Austin's stature as a 9 year old may prevent him from reaching the pedals of the Bobcat, but he's adept at driving the equipment alongside his father as rocks are placed in the front-end loader and relocated at the edges of the vineyard. Additional rocks are collected in the trailer towed by the 4-wheeler with Caroline at the wheel. Like their parents, both children have a hands-on education in the art of vineyard farming. A strong entrepreneurial spirit and a splash of serendipity may have been the impetus for Derrill and Lori Rice's venture into the Grassy Creek Vineyard & Winery. But experiences of engaging in the family business from its birth may eventually evolve into a second generation of hands-on grape growers and winemakers at Grassy Creek.

Jim and Cynthia Douthit

Jim Douthit has longed for his own vineyards almost since childhood. As the son of a Navy commander who was also a winemaker, Jim learned about grapes and winemaking techniques at an early age, as his family hop-scotched from place to place around the Pacific rim and across the US. Like Johnny Appleseed, the Douthits planted grapes wherever they settled, even though they rarely stayed long enough to harvest the fruit from their own vineyards. During those years of frequent Navy moves, Douthit vintages were created from local grapes and other available fruit.

While Jim learned grape cultivation and winemaking at his father's side, Cynthia was in Kentucky engaged in hands-on interior design with her mother. Mrs. Clark was renown for finding interesting furniture in local estate sales, garage sales and the like. After refinishing, these new acquisitions moved into the house where Cynthia and her mother artfully arranged and accessorized all of the home's furnishings. By the time Cynthia left home to attend college and major in interior design, she had years of personal experience to draw upon.

An interest in chemistry fueled Jim's initial pursuit of a college major in pharmacy. But the need to augment his college funds plus his desire to explore the facets of many different jobs, led to an incredible assortment of work experiences. Working on farms raising horses gave Jim a stint as a wrangler for the filming of The Long Riders (with the Carradine, Keach, Quaid and Brown brothers). The sea put a few dollars in his bank account while supplying fare for local markets and the dining room of The Cloister in Sea Island, GA. Jim's mechanical aptitude landed him a job as a mechanic for International Tractor, and a promotion to the office staff where he managed road service trucks.

Choosing a new major that dovetailed with the coursework he'd already completed for pharmacy, Jim ended up earning a B.S. degree in criminal justice and a minor in chemistry. Like many new college graduates however, he found his career opportunity leading him into an entirely different industry - textiles. Throughout his roller coaster career path, Jim's hobby was making wine…in his basement, his bathtub, and his garage - wherever he had some room.

With her interior design degree in hand, Cynthia's career led to Drexel Heritage for experiences in store planning and upholstery merchandising that included business travel throughout the US and much of the rest of the world. Wonderful fabrics captivated Cynthia and drew her to Baker Furniture in Chicago and eventually to New York where she was VP of Woven Designs for F. Schumacher. Working with textile mills throughout Europe, Cynthia was invited to experience local cuisine accompanied by regional wines. She soon discovered that her appreciation for the artistry of textiles was complemented by her enjoyment of the foods & wines.

Healthy curiosity about how things work and a desire to be hands-on people continue to shape Cynthia and Jim's approaches to their lives and careers. Jim's foundation in chemistry, keen observational skills and understanding of technical processes nourished his 25-year career in the textile industry where he managed dyeing and finishing processes, testing labs, engineering, quality and various production departments. Transitioning from textiles to viticulture and winemaking was a natural for Jim since his new endeavors required many of the same areas of expertise.

Cynthia's love for the details involved in creating textiles transcends her expertise in design. Valdese Weavers in North Carolina provided the career intersection for Cynthia to learn the actual art of textile design and manufacturing, including the foundation of product development, and weaving processes. Here she also met Jim. Once their pathways crossed, Jim and Cynthia found common threads and were married.

After their marriage, career changes gave each of them a year's window of time for a sabbatical and a re-evaluation of life's purposes. For Cynthia, this was a time of renewal, consulting work and an invitation to join American Silk as their VP of Design. Dividing time between her office in NY, and a studio in High Point, NC, she is engaged in an endeavor that draws upon her enormous creative energies and love for exquisite textiles.

Jim's sabbatical included some textile consulting, but quickly became a quest for land for his vineyard. The land came about in the most unexpected way. Jim was participating in a Bible study group with 9 ladies who enjoyed his perspectives, company and his dreams about planting grapes and opening a winery. Within a short time, one of the ladies in the class approached Jim with "I understand you're looking for some place to grow grapes ... " Soon a deal was struck that allowed Jim to plant 10 acres of grapes and launch Holloway Vineyards, in Troutman, NC.

While working on his own vineyard, Jim accepted invitations to participate in some of the vineyard work at nearby Hanover Park Winery with owners and friends, Michael and Amy Helton. Michael, teaching as a mentor, confirmed Jim's love for vineyards and winemaking while delivering more hands-on experience.

Cynthia continues to enjoy her "day job" but has been conscripted on free weekends for almost any vineyard task. For her, the moment of truth was buying their first tractor and then surveying herself after a long day of work in the vineyards. Covered with mud she realized that she was not only bone tired, but was wearing the watch and jewelry she put on every morning – most unsuitable for farm work! Now the jewelry stays in the jewelry box when she's working with Jim in the vineyard.

The Yadkin Valley of North Carolina provides fertile ground for productive vineyards and partnerships. Grassy Creek Vineyards & Winery in Elkin is a partnership between Derrill & Lori Rice and Jim & Cynthia Douthit. Wines from Grassy Creek include grapes from Holloway Vineyards and reflect Jim's winemaking and viticulture expertise. Additional labors contributed by family & friends have cleared acreage, moved rocks, planted rootstock, weeded and pruned vineyards.

For all of the workers, the rewards are tremendous. Since Jim's homemade wines are the beverages of choice at Douthit parties, family & friends ensure a continued supply of his wonderful wines through their labors. The years will pass, the vines will mature, and the Rice and Douthit families, their children and grandchildren will enjoy the fruits of their labors and vineyards for generations to come.

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Grassy Creek Vineyard & Winery
Mailing: P.O. Box 703, Elkin, NC 28621
Winery: Tasting Room Drive off of Klondike Road, 235 Chatham Cottage Circle, State Road, NC 28621
Tasting Room Hours: Thursday through Saturday 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
or by appointment (January - February weekend hours only)
Business Telephone: (336) 835-4230 | Tasting Room Telephone: (336) 835-2458
derrill.rice@grassycreekvineyard.com | jim.douthit@grassycreekvineyard.com

 Grassy Creek Vineyard & Winery. All rights reserved.
Website: Tincknell & Tincknell.