Meet John and Debbie Ray-Wilson of Umbra Winery in Grapevine

Today we’d like to introduce you to John and Debbie Ray-Wilson.

John and Debbie met at a wine tasting in 2010 in Las Colinas. A first date that would turn into the adventure of a lifetime. Both had other professions at the time…John a chemical engineer and Debbie, a self-employed bank consultant. John lived in Longview, Debbie in Irving. But they loved wine and all things Italian and soon began thinking of their future together. Once engaged, John began thinking of what sort of work he could do in the DFW area as chemical jobs are more likely near the coastal areas. Coffee shops, vending machines, home building…his imagination ran the gamut. Meanwhile, the two took a trip to Napa/Sonoma and wondered how they could buy some land and grow some grapes, just for themselves. As Debbie had lived in Southern Italy for 8 years growing up, living on a vineyard and drinking wine was virtually second nature. John’s mothers side of the family hails from Sicily so he comes by it naturally! After seeing an ad for a small winery for sale, John passed the idea by Debbie who had actually been to the winery several years prior. They visited and found that the owner had actually thought they removed the ad and were beginning to liquidate. The two decided to purchase the winery…Debbie’s rationale was if they went broke, at least they’d have plenty of wine to drown their sorrows!

That was in early 2013. Since then, the duo rebranded under the name Umbra and opened a retail tasting room on Main Street in Grapevine, Texas. Even that find has some elements of destiny to it that the two marvels at! Grapevine is a wonderful combination of history, wine with thousands of both national and international travelers. The tasting room is known for its gorgeous up-lit bar and European casual chic. Inspired by the enotecas they visited while on their honeymoon in Tuscany, the two wanted to bring their love of Italy and Europe to their customers. Offering a tapas menu co-created with Chef Domenico who hails from Naples, well-traveled customers have said that if they close their eyes, they almost feel like they are back in the Old country!

In 2015, they decided to offer a selection of imports in addition to their 6-8 in-house produced wines. With so many world travelers, the wines offered from boutique wineries around Europe and South America offer a lovely range of varietals and blends sure to please any palate! John also brought in James Conley as General Manager, an award-winning bartender from Louisiana, who has created a fun and delicious selection of champagne cocktails and winearitas that entertain the late-night crowds at Umbra.

In December of 2016, the duo decided to take the Company to a true “grape to glass” concept and purchased La Buena Vida Vineyards in Springtown, just 45 minutes from Grapevine. The third oldest winery in Texas, the 49-acre estate has roughly 8 varietals of mature vines on 7 acres of the land. They have added Mead, a honey wine, to their offerings and have a few more additions up their sleeves! Umbra Winery at La Buena Vida Vineyards, as it will be known, should open fully in early 2018 with an 8,000-sq. ft. Spanish traditional inspired meeting & events center, tasting room and patio, estate wine cellar and bell tower. The existing 8,000 sq. ft. of production space should also be renovated and ready for public tours as early as Fall 2017.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
(Debbie laughing out loud) …smooth? no definitely not. Where to start? The struggles are many. Starting and running any business is hard work. It’s stressful and constant. Cash flow is always a struggle. Always more priorities and needs than there is time or money. There is no time off. The only time we really relax is if we leave the country because we are gone and really can’t do much about whatever may come up. Otherwise, we are thinking, talking, discussing business every day. For many couples, that wouldn’t work. For us, it has so far (another laugh). We are both pretty high mental energy people and John also likes the physicality of wine making. The chemical engineer experience and knowledge comes in handy every day and with a vineyard to run and maintain, they are both kept occupied and challenged. I (Debbie) still do consulting part time so in addition to handling the Retail and Back Room Operations, Marketing and Events side of Umbra and now constructing the Meeting and Event Center and their new home, she also travels and consults every other week. “Luckily, we have both run businesses before so we weren’t completely unaware but this is a new industry for us. The retail/bar/food & service industry is extremely competitive and somewhat fickle. Our original location was a huge barrier so finding the spot in Grapevine was truly key. Location, location, location. Know what you want to create and don’t be sidetracked by fear, doubt or anxiety!” In fact, you need to be fearless. John has successfully obtained distribution with a National distributor such that Umbra’s award-winning wines are now carried in every Market Street in Texas and currently 33 Tom Thumbs. More outlets are coming. John’s approach is “If you don’t try, you might fail but you certainly can’t succeed!” Seems simple, right?

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Umbra is a Texas based winery producing anywhere from six to eight wines and Mead, an ancient form of honey wine. We plan to add additional products soon. We are somewhat unique from the other wineries in our area in that we have a distinct European flair to our offerings and aesthetic. We like to feel we are combining our trade (wine making) with an experience to create something unique and special for our guests. Our tasting room has been compared to European and even New York wine bars and yet also described as relaxing and an escape from the daily grind. We like that we are blending an age-old art and pastime with a slightly modern edge to create an experience where guests leave thinking “Wow! I was not expecting that and I can’t wait to go back.” We are most proud of that because there are a lot of moving parts to creating that for your customers. It begins with excellent staff. We have the best group of employees, folks who believe in our brand and our vision. And genuinely nice people! We are so blessed in that regard and think that is probably what we are MOST proud of. We all also have a high attention to detail and stress that with our staff. We will agonize over seemingly small things but know that even small touches are part of the overall experience. We also think we are pretty creative and like to keep things fresh and fun. Luckily our staff is very flexible and “roll with it” when we come up with a new idea or plan. Flexibility is definitely key in a growing business.

What were you like growing up?
(John) Wow! I’d have to say energetic. I always had to be going somewhere, moving, unconstrained. That might partly explain why I’ve done and tried a lot of things. All of those experiences just add to your depth of knowledge along the way. I’m also a bit of an introvert. I like to think, create, imagine. A visionary or inventor perhaps? (he laughs)

(Debbie) I’ve been called an overachiever maybe even a bit of a perfectionist. I was painfully shy and self-conscious when I was younger but as I’ve matured and definitely the professions I’ve chosen have helped me overcome a good bit of that. I enjoy people and get jazzed by collaborations so definitely more of an extrovert. Also, the more “feely” type…which is why the experience is so important to me. How do people feel when they leave our place of business? Like John, I’m creative as well but also pragmatic so I’ll think through all the “what ifs” and risks while he focuses more on the possibilities and vision of what it could be. I guess I ground him a bit (is that another way of saying “ball and chain”? [laughter]

Pricing:

• Happy Hour 4-7pm M-Th – Umbra wine by the glass for $6
• Umbra Wine Club – Red Level $39.95/White $29.95/Mixed $34.95 plus tax; 2 bottles bi monthly
• Case Discounts 10% OFF

Contact Info:

• Address: Urban tasting room – 415 S. Main Street, Grapevine, Texas 76051
  Vineyard – 650 Vineyard Lane, Springtown, Texas 76082
• Website: www.umbrawinery.com
• Phone: 817.421.2999
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umbrawinery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umbrawinery/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Umbrawinery
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/umbra-winery-grapevine
• Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g55930-d7355349-Reviews-Umbra_Winery-Grapevine_Texas.html

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