Wedding Oak Winery Announces Staff Changes

Wedding Oak Winery has promoted three valued team members and hired an operations manager. The winery located in San Saba has also previously announced that it will be expanding to Burnet and moving its Fredericksburg tasting room in 2019.

“As we approach our seventh anniversary, Wedding Oak Winery is growing and maturing,” says Mike McHenry, managing partner, Wedding Oak Winery. “We are opening two new hospitality centers and tasting rooms in Fredericksburg and Burnet, Texas in spring 2019. With this growth comes the necessary advancement and evolution of our staff. We’re fortunate to have wine industry experts on the staff to grow the team from within, and at the same time add top-quality talent to our team.”

Penny Adams: Promoted to Viticulturist, Director of Vineyard Operations. Adams joined Wedding Oak Winery in early 2012 and has led the winemaking team as well as served as viticulturist. She is widely recognized as a vineyard management expert in the wine industry with experience in all aspects of viticulture – from site and varietal selection through proper pruning techniques, controlled irrigation, canopy management, and careful harvesting.  She completed her B.S. in Horticulture from Texas A&M and earned her M.S in Agriculture-Plant Science with a specialty in Viticulture from California State University-Fresno. In her new role, Adams will manage all Wedding Oak Winery estate vineyards, as well as vineyards under contract, and will continue to serve as vineyard consultant. Adams recently was awarded the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association’s T.V. Munson Award for her contributions to Texas grape growing.

Seth Urbanek: Promoted to Winemaker. Urbanek joined Wedding Oak Winery as assistant winemaker in 2017. He was responsible for cellar management and assisting with all aspects of production as part of the winemaking team. He has implemented an extensive research and scientific approach to winemaking at Wedding Oak Winery and has played a significant role in helping to shape the new portfolio of wines. As winemaker, Urbanek will continue to focus on making vineyard specific wines with Texas-grown grapes, as well as the Italian and Spanish style blends that Wedding Oak is known for. Before joining Wedding Oak Winery, he worked in the wine industry at Sheldrake Point Winery, Ovid, NY, MollyDooker Winery in McLaren Vale, South Australia, and Champagne Bollinger, Aÿ, France. Urbanek is a graduate of Texas A&M University, holds a certified proficiency in French language from Centre Universitaire d’Etudes Francaises, Grenoble, France, and a Master of Science degree in Enology at Cornell University.

Dyana Pemberton: Promoted to Wine Club Manager and Events Coordinator. Pemberton joined Wedding Oak Winery in 2016. She was tasked to lead numerous aspects of winery operations including tasting room management, events, and wine club management. She has been a central part of the successful growth of Wedding Oak’s wine clubs with keen attention to customer service, event management, and club development. She previously worked as Wine Club Manager at another Texas Hill Country winery. Her experience in her current role makes her a natural fit to take on her new responsibilities.

Doug Winter:  New Operations Manager. Winter joins Wedding Oak Winery to oversee operations of its tasting room and hospitality facilities in San Saba, and soon to open locations in Fredericksburg, and Burnet. Winter is a skilled entrepreneur and manager of multi-unit operations in Idaho and Utah. He brings extensive experience in food and beverage management, and team leadership. Winter and his family are based in San Saba.