Award-Winning Texas Winemaker Launching Shipping Container Winery in Gainesville, Texas
The first Texas winemaker to earn a coveted Sweepstake Medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is on a mission to start his label Deschain Cellars in an innovative shipping-container winery based on the science behind a Yeti cooler.
GAINESVILLE, Texas, Sept. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Winemaker Willem Johnson will join the growing community of Texas AVA wineries with his new project Deschain Cellars expected to open on US-82 in the fall of 2019. Johnson, winemaker for 4R Ranch Vineyards & Winery, and his partner Kristin Mapstone, owner of a boutique marketing agency, purchased the ten-acre property in 2017 with the goal of building a winery out of recycled building materials to launch their own label.
Johnson remarked on this passion project, "The ability to combine a lifetime of experience and research in wine, hospitality and engineering to build this business from the ground up is extremely exciting! Kristin and I share a pioneering spirit and look forward to helping build the North Texas Wine Country and supporting the revitalization of downtown Gainesville."
A wine and hospitality industry veteran, Johnson was the first sommelier hired by Vail Resorts. He spent more than two decades managing their wine program, while also making wine for private club members as the co-owner of Churchill Cellars in Wolcott, Colorado. A move to North Texas to be with Mapstone and her sons brought him to Muenster's 4R Ranch Vineyards & Winery where he has been the winemaker since the opening in 2016. His wines have won a host of awards including a Sweepstake Medal awarded to the top seven of seven-thousand entries from the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the oldest and most prestigious blind tasting in the country.
Johnson is the brain behind the design of Deschain Cellars, constructed from ten decommissioned shipping containers and other recycled products. The idea of building with used shipping containers - that would otherwise be littering our country - captured his imagination many years ago. Helping with a science fair project on the insulative capabilities of a Yeti sparked the idea to using some of the same principles to reduce heat transfer with steel shipping containers, essentially making a building-sized cooler to manage cellar temperatures in the Texas heat.
"Helping Willem bring his vision to reality has been both exhilarating and challenging," explained Mapstone. "We consulted a dozen professionals across the fields of engineering, construction and welding prior to starting the project and got a lot of conflicting advice." Finally, a collaboration between General Contractor Marc Howland, Equipment Management Services' Cal Hoskison and Done Right Welding's Matt Baugh, resulted in the container structure that was erected in just over three weeks.
Johnson will divide his time, making wine for both Deschain Cellars and 4R Ranch. While 4R boasts stunning views of the Red River Valley, Deschain will offer a hip and funky, easily-accessed venue with the hallmarks of old-school customer service and approachable wine education. The soft opening for is currently planned for late October.
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About DESCHAIN
Opening in Fall 2019, DESCHAIN will produce handcrafted wines in the Texoma AVA. Located approximately an hour north of the DFW Metroplex, DESCHAIN will provide a comprehensive wine experience for guests including tastings (our handcrafted wines along with curated favorites from around the world), education, and food pairings.
SOURCE Deschain Cellars
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