Josephine speaking: I was born in France of German parents, and moved to the States when I was 15 years. Graduated from San Jose State University with BS in Business Administration. I worked for IBM for 17 years, and was transferred about every 3 years to a new location, including oversees assignment in Tokyo, Japan for 3 years. After that, I worked in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) at First Union Bank (now Wells Fargo Bank). My husband and I now live on our vineyard.

Tom Silvey's Speaking: I am from Harriman, TN and grew up on my beloved mountains, overlooking a beautiful lake. I graduated from Le Tourneau University with an Engineering degree, and have been working for Westinghouse which later became Siemens. I had to work on numerous projects which required extensive travel abroad (China, Japan and in Europe). I developed a taste for traveling and was happy that Josephine loves traveling as well.

Josephine and I met in Charlotte and got married in 1993. Both of us were married before so we blended our children into our new family (Josephine‘s daughter and my two daughters and son). We are now empty-nesters, but the family keeps growing with the addition of grandchildren, three grand-sons, and two grand-daughters so fa. Since acquiring the vineyard, we have traveled extensively to wine growing regions to develop our knowledge of viticulture and enology. Our knowledge must include best practices used, not only in our region, but also in other parts of the world.

Josephine Silvey or Gail Cox purchased this cabin in 2011

The setting of this property is gorgeous and reminiscent of French riverbank hillside vineyards. We knew we had a gem as soon as we saw the property, and soon after that the dream was born. We wanted others to discover what we had found, an area rich in history, of moonshine and NASCAR, close to Stone Mountain State Park, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and dotted with many wineries along the NC Wine Route. People come here from all over to enjoy the foliage in fall, to hike, fish, hunt, and partake of all the things the region has to offer. We are in the country but close to both Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Charlotte and to the VA border. Recommended for adults, romantic getaways, sports retreat, and economic getaway.

You have the opportunity to stay in lovely cabin just feet from the river. The cabin is located on on a 50-acre estate, at the Roaring River Vineyards. You enter the property through an elegant stone entrance, with two fishing ponds on each side, and see the vineyards going up the slope in front of you. You follow the directional signs up a the access road, first passing a large mountain home, and the event venue called 'The Gathering Place' to the cabin on the river bank literally just 20 feet away from the Roaring River. Nearby are the ruins of the dam that served the gristmill and sawmill across the river. The miller's cabin (17930 is still intact and we hope to refurbish it in the near future. The Gathering Place's indoor site can be rented for events or for guest use when they rent all the available units and wish to eat and spend time together. The beauty of the setting slowly registers with you, as you take in the view. You hear the sounds of the river cascading over large boulders, and the next thing you know you’re fishing and hoping to catch that “prize winning” trout. If you are not in the mood for fishing you might decide instead to relax on the sandy river beach, catch-up on some reading, cool-off in the river or picnic amongst the grapevines. Nature lovers will enjoy the sightings of the abundant wildlife. You can do whatever you want when you are here. You can just relax or you may want to engage in as many activities as the region has to offer, it’s up to you! One of the benefits of being on a private estate is that you can fish on our private ponds year-round without a license. We also allow bow-hunting on our grounds. For those of you “wannabe” grape-growers, you can pick the grapes at harvest time or help crush grapes. We are open to that! Who knows, there may be a budding winemaker among you. Also, you are in the heart of wine country and can easily go from one winery to another, enjoy Stone Mountain State Park with all it has to offer.