Winery on the Bay - Boutique Winery & Craft Brewery!
In the heart of historic downtown Rockport, Texas, Dan and Debbie Parker have crafted more than just wine and beer – they've created a destination. At Winery on the Bay, their award-winning boutique winery, the Parkers transform juices sourced from vineyards across the globe into over 30 unique varietals. From classic reds and whites to fruit-infused and dessert wines, their creations are crafted without preservatives and with minimal sulfites, ensuring a pure, refined tasting experience for every palate. But the Parkers didn’t stop with wine. They recently opened Doggone Brewery, a craft beer haven that’s quickly becoming a local favorite. With over a dozen beers on tap, as well as canned options and growlers to go, the brewery is the perfect complement to the winery’s sophisticated offerings. In this Delivery Rank’s interview, Dan and Debbie share the inspiration behind their journey, their passion for crafting exceptional wine and beer, and how they’ve turned their vision into a thriving Rockport landmark.
Could you take us back to the beginning—what inspired you to start brewing beer and making wine at home, and how did that passion evolve into opening Winery on the Bay?
Many many years ago when Myself and Debbie got married, living in Arizona I was getting into making beer and wine for our personal use. We would make it in our kitchen and let it ferment in our extra bathroom. We did not have kids back then! Everyday I would get up and change the liter bottles of ice from the bath tub to keep the fermenting beverage at a constant temperature. Then in the afternoon when Debbie got home from work she would change them out for fresh ones. After moving to Texas we were still making beer and wine at home, I was working at Best Buy as the General Manager and one of my employees was getting married. We decided to make them a batch of wine with a custom label for their wedding. The wine was a big hit and everyone kept asking me for bottles of the wine. As it turned out, my best friend from high school moved to the area and we had always wanted to start our own business together. I said, “Why don’t we start a winery?” My friend had no idea how to make wine let alone drink it but he said it was a great idea!
A year later (2008) we opened up Winery on the Gruene in a small 1000 sq ft space in the outskirts of Gruene Texas. After a year we found a place in Gruene and decided to move our winery there. That was the beginning of it all. We have since sold Winery on the Gruene just last year. In 2014 we decided to move our family to the small town of Rockport Texas. We opened up Winery on the Bay in May of 2014, on our Wedding Anniversary day. We love this small community and the mostly warm weather. We do not fish but we love the view of the water, nature and the residents are friendly. We bought our current location when the Rockport Center for the Arts bought our building we were renting and decided to build their new center on that site.
Your custom wine batches and personalized labels are such unique offerings. Can you share a memorable story or occasion where this service made a special impact?
As I stated above that is really how the whole thought of opening our own winery started. A small batch of wine for friends at their wedding. Thinking back on it, it was a simple and easy thought now but when we were going through it, it was very stressful and fearful. I quit my job after 1 year of opening Winery on the Bay and have loved the work we have been doing.
Operating both a custom boutique winery and a craft brewery is an ambitious venture. How do you balance these two sides of the business, and what are the unique challenges or rewards of doing so?
We opened the Winery first in 2014. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017 we lost a 3000 sq ft warehouse and had to function differently. Then Covid hit and the government made our business model even more challenging. We decided to remodel and cut back our bar size.
Since we were remodeling I always wanted to start a brewery but could not afford the equipment. Since the winery was doing well we took out a loan to start the brewery. We opened up Dog’ Gone Brewery in 2018. We started a beer we call Boozer with Benefits. It is a rotating beer style that we change every 2 months. We donate $2.00 for every pint of Boozer to a local charity called Another Chance RFT. They are a local charity that helps find homes for dogs at our local shelter and provides vet care for all the dogs. It is a great organization and truly a huge benefit for this community. Once the brewery opened it changed our clientele and the way we do business. The challenges of making wine and beer is a juggling act that takes a lot of time and help. We have hired some people to help with all of this as the 2 of us could never do all the wine making and beer making. We have built a reputation of having quality wines and beers and of course our staff is very friendly. We love getting new people into wine and Craft Beer.
Your wines have garnered awards. Could you share a bit about what makes your wine production process special, and what you believe sets your blends apart from others?
Our wines are special because we only deal with the juice. We can buy juice from all over the world and make our wine here. We are not tied to a vineyard and a limited style of grape. We can get anything we can imagine from just about anywhere in the world. We have a variety from around the world. Our Fruit-Infused wines are the most popular because of their sweetness and fruit flavor. Even non-wine lovers like these. And then we also have wines that are dry and flavorful from around the world for the more experienced wine lovers. We take pride and care in making every single batch of wine! It is our product and a reflection of who we are when we set that glass or bottle of wine in front of our customers.
From starting Winery on the Gruene to moving your expertise to Rockport, how has being a family business shaped your journey and the customer experience you offer?
Starting the winery in Rockport has always been a family effort. I, Debbie and our kids worked it every day until we moved into our current location and we needed help. The people we have hired have become our friends and family also. Our kids since 2008 in Gruene would label bottles of wine, help with the bottling process and then eventually when they were old enough learned to serve our guests at the tasting room. We worked together but we still had the time and effort to support our children in their activities. We were very involved in Basketball at Rockport High school as well as track, and our children’s education. It was not always easy but we put our family first and the winery came second. It has worked out well for our family and hopefully we have brought something special to Rockport that can grow even larger after we retire. We have changed over the years to a winery that catered to everyone but with the change in culture towards children we had to change to an adult only venue that allowed dogs. However, we offer all of our products to go. We have Home Wine Tasting kits for people with children and all of our beer comes in 16oz cans. We love our winery and brewery and we love our customers. Our Wine and Beer Club is a testament to that. We have over 300 members and are constantly adding more every month. Come and join us for a glass of wine or a pint of beer! We are open and ready to pour you a glass and make wonderful memories for you and your friends! Thank you, Dan and Debbie Parker and Family
To read more about Winery on the Bay, please visit https://www.wineryonthebay.com/