Winemaker Takes First Step

Filed in archive Wine Making on June 20, 2007

One small Step for a new wine maker, one giant step for the city and it's very first winery. Or, maybe that's the other way around. It seem like a big step really for anyone to take on starting their own winery from what was once a home-brew type system.

Here's a nice story from City's 1st winery raises glasses:

"I had a wine-making place," said Evans, an insurance agent for 25 years, "but my wife said she wanted her laundry room back."

So he started Mia Vino, The Winery of Texas, a micro-winery that celebrates its grand opening at noon today in a renovated Main Street building downtown.

Evans; his wife, Cheryl; and business partner, Paul Guion, renovated and set up shop in a 1,600-square-foot building at 116 N. Main St., former home of the Mansfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

To fill his store with cabernets, chardonnays and other varietals, Evans buys grape must from California vineyards, mostly the Lodi region about 65 miles east of San Francisco. He said 100 pounds of grape must can make 6 gallons of wine, and he expects to churn out about 1,200 bottles of wine each month.

Prices will range from $10 to $19 a bottle. Customers can sip wines for $6 a glass or sample them at the tasting bar for $1 an ounce.

In a city known for its bustling development, Mansfield's first winery adds a touch of elegance, City Councilman Greg Kunasek said.