"A new winery and tasting room opens this week from a certified vintner and her husband in Northwest Houston. Kristina and Ron Tucker will debut Decant Urban Winery at 948 Wakefield Drive on Wednesday after a relatively short time planning their destination for Houston-fermented wines. The massive 10,000 square-foot space has room for fermenting barrels, a small tasting lounge for 10 to 12 people, and a forthcoming 2,000 square foot tasting room that can accommodate 75 to 150 people with a large dog-friendly patio attached. Kristina is heading up the grapes purchasing and fermenting operations as the head vintner at Decant. Just months ago, she earned a master’s degree in horticulture from Texas A&M with an emphasis in enology after studying biomedical science in undergrad yet deciding not to go into medicine. During her studies, Kristina worked in fine dining and says it was her husband who encouraged her to get a master’s degree in winemaking to turn her side passion into a business. On opening day, Decant will debut three Texas wines to start with including an alberiño, zinfandel, and a cabernet sauvignon, followed by Oregon and Washington state varietals to be released next month including riesling, pinot noir, and syrah. Finally, a handful of Northern California wines will debut in several months’ time to total about 16 varietals on hand in the tasting rooms. As far as food is concerned, Decant plans to share the pizza truck with the neighboring brewery, and offer cheese and charcuterie plates, light bites, and more food options once their larger tasting room is up and running." - Alaena Hostetter
