It’s not every day you meet a couple in Springfield who own a small-batch vineyard in Argentina and import their award-winning wines to Missouri.
Doug and Kacey Davis own DK54Vines, a three-acre vineyard at the foothill of the Andes Mountains in the Uco Valley region of Mendoza. Their 2016 Torrontés and 2014 Cabernet Franc both won gold medals at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition — one of the largest charitable wine competitions in the world — and their 2014 Malbec took home a silver medal. Their wines are now exclusively available in Missouri, including at several locations in Springfield.
Kacey describes their venture as a wine co-op of sorts but they are part of a vineyard ownership with The Vines of Mendoza.
The Vines of Mendoza is a vineyard in Argentina. (Photo: Submitted)
Michael Evans, one of the founders of The Vines of Mendoza, worked on John Kerry’s presidential campaign and after his loss, Evans went to Argentina for vacation, stayed and is one of the founders of this novice concept.
Doug is a Springfield native. Kacey grew up in Los Angeles. Rewind to the 1980s and that is where this story begins.
It’s a good thing she didn’t throw away his number
Doug Davis took a break from his college studies at Missouri State University to visit his sister in Los Angeles. She told him if he was staying there for the summer, he had to get a job and help with rent. He did and that’s how his path crossed with Kacey. That summer they hung out with a group of friends.
When fall classes came calling, Doug wrote his number on a paper placemat, others in the friend group signed it, and Kacey tucked it away.
Two years later, Kacey came home to a message on her answering machine.
“He said: ‘I don’t know if you remember me but I am coming back for spring break,’” she said.
Except Doug forgot to leave his number on the answering machine.
Kacey still had the mat. She pulled it out and called him back.
They reconnected and he came back in the summer. Doug invited her to Springfield that October. She came back for Valentine’s Day.
DK54Vines blending session. (Photo: Submitted)
After he graduated with a degree in animal science, they were married in 1992.
The couple settled in California. Kacey has always worked in retail and was at Talbots. Then he landed a job at the University of Southern California medical campus doing research.
Later, he got a call from his dad asking if Doug wanted to take over the family business: Friends of the Family, a pet memorial garden and cremation service.
His father, Ron Davis, started it in 1984 and it was time to pass the torch.
“I didn’t want to regret the opportunity,” Doug said.
It was 2001.
The first years were hard, said Kacey. Her father had Alzheimer’s and didn’t understand where she was. She was homesick and missed her siblings and friends. Doug worked long hours as the sole employee. Customers had to get used to the fact that he wasn’t his father, so it was an adjustment.
They had a 5-year plan which turned into a 10-year plan.
Now 24 years later, this is home.
How do you go from pet cremation to vineyard owner?
The 2013 vintage of DK54Vines “Sueño Salvaje.” (Photo: Submitted)
The Davises say they always enjoyed wine and visited wineries.
In 2008, they took their first trip to Mendoza, a popular region famous for Malbec. Travelers come from around the world to taste it at its source. It was on that trip that they learned about an interesting concept: they could buy acreage and someone else would make the wine for them.
They had dreamed of owning a winery, but it was just a pipedream.
“When you visit a winery, it has this romantic vibe to it. But I thought owning a vineyard was only for the ultra-wealthy,” said Kacey.
Unbeknownst to her, Doug brought home some literature and started seriously researching this innovative project. The land was reasonable. The dream became more realistic the more they thought about it.
“We don’t have kids. We don’t have a lake house. We can do this,” said Kacey.
They returned the following year. After a tour, they sipped wine and gazed at the Andes Mountains and they bought in.
What are The Vines of Mendoza?
Kacey Davis harvesting the Cabernet Franc. (Photo: Submitted)
In 2004, American Michael Evans, former COO of Rock the Vote, who worked on John Kerry’s presidential campaign, came to Mendoza for vacation and fell in love with it. He met Pablo Gimenez-Riili and the following year, they partnered and bought 250 acres to create The Vines of Mendoza.
The idea was to create a private vineyard experience and allow different people to buy parcels of the land to craft their own wine. They now have 1,500 acres and have sold to more than 200 people around the world. They create more than 300 unique vintages a year.
Some vineyard owners want wine for their personal consumption and others sell commercially.
“You can be as hands-on or hands-off as you want,” said Kacey.
There were seminars for owners to learn about winemaking, marketing, selling, blending, etc.
Doug and Kacey didn’t have a plan when they bought it, but they’ve made it work.
The beauty is this is such an area of experimentation, said Doug.
You have people from around the world with different wine preferences. Some may want to try to plant grapes that don’t go there traditionally; everyone is doing something different.
“When rosé exploded in popularity, we didn’t want to miss that train, so we started producing rosé,” said Kacey.
The Vines of Mendoza has become a destination. It includes a hotel and spa, boutique wineries, restaurants, tasting room and more.
Enough of the story, let’s get to the vino
Barrels of wine produced at The Vines of Mendoza. (Photo: Submitted)
Through their label, the Davises produce Malbec (their favorite), Rosé, Cab Franc (the best seller), Torrontés, and a blend called Red Arc.
The Red Arc is the first initial of each of their father’s names.
“It is our thank you to them for providing for us,” Doug said.
The DK54Vines’ name is a combination of the first letter of their names (Doug and Kacey) and their plot number on the land.
They describe their wine as fruit-forward and their winemaker Pablo Martorell, works under the guidance of Argentina’s top-rated winemaker, Santiago Achaval.
The Davises produce anywhere from 300 to 900 bottles a year.
Next year, they plan to double production as demand for their wine has ramped up.
They won’t buy any more land as they can just buy grapes off of their neighbors.
Kacey has spent years plugging away at the business. She’s naturally shy, so she has had to move out of her comfort zone as she networked.
A wooden post at The Vines of Mendoza bears the name of Doug and Kacey Davis’ business. (Photo: Submitted)
They’ve made lots of friends with similar interests in wine, food and travel because of this venture.
The Davises go back to their vineyard at least once a year.
It’s been rewarding and educational, they echoed.
“We are both really proud of what we have accomplished,” Kacey said. “The wine industry is not easy. It’s pretty exciting when dining at a restaurant and you see fellow diners enjoying a bottle of your wine, or when doing an event and someone discovers that they love Torrontés. Just seeing the excitement on their faces makes it all worth it. We are building a big presence here in Springfield, as well as St. Louis and Kansas City, and hope to continue getting into other parts of Missouri.”
Find it: DK54Vines wines are available at Brown Derby Wine Center, Macadoodles locations and Mama Jeans Natural Market (all locations). It is also served at restaurants such as Harvest, Char, The Order and SPLIT Social Kitchen. Email them for information dk54vines@gmail.com or visit their website.
Juliana Goodwin
Juliana Goodwin is a freelance journalist with experience covering business, travel and tourism, health, food and history. She is a former Food and Travel Columnist for the Springfield News-Leader, a former business reporter for The Joplin Globe, and has written for USA Today and Arkansas Living Magazine, among others. More by Juliana Goodwin