Old Mans Creek Vineyard and Winery LLC

The Old Man's Creek Acreage was founded in 2003 when Tom and Vicki purchased a small parcel of the farm that Vicki was raised on. The original farm goes back to the late 1890s when it was purchased by Vicki’s great grandparents, the Hess family. The family’s farming on both sides of Old Man's Creek when Vicki was younger led to a close connection to the creek.

Even before then, Vicki’s family had established residency on acres of land in the area of Old Man's Creek. A record from 1841 indicates Vicki’s great-grandparents settled nearby to farm and raise their large family. One of the children in that family was Vicki’s grandfather—Frank Fry.

In 2005 Tom and Vicki planted their first grape vines with the help of family, neighbors, and friends. After the additional plantings in 2006 and 2007, they had an established vineyard. In early years they grew the grapes and marketed them to Iowa wineries. The harvest was done by hand with the help of many local friends, neighbors, family, and youth and church organizations for many years. It was a special time in the vineyard, and everyone involved created memories, especially Tom and Vicki. Now, with the help of family, friends, and neighbors, all grapes are harvested by machine.

Tom and Vicki decided in 2013 it was time to move to the acreage, so they had a house constructed; in the fall of 2014, they moved out there permanently. Harvesting grapes to develop wine has now become their retirement pastime.

Because of the family’s long history with the area, the name Old Man's Creek Winery was picked when the winery was established in 2018. At that time, Tom and Vicki started to produce their wines for retail on site.