Today we’d like to introduce you to Malcolm and Kathryn Gray.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Malcolm and Kathryn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Our passion for wine making comes from our passion for drinking wine but let’s start a bit earlier. Kathryn Gray grew up in the SF Bay Area then went to San Diego State University, graduating with a BS in Business Administration emphasis Accounting. Upon graduation, Kathryn worked in sales in Orange County, after several years eventually moved back to the SF Bay Area to catch the rise of technology.
Malcolm Gray grew up in Toronto Canada and New York. In the late 70’s his family moved to Sacramento where Malcolm studied Engineering. When Malcolm had enough of school he decided to move to the SF Bay Area to pursue his passion for technology. Kathryn and Malcolm met at Sun Microsystems and started a family. In their spare time, they enjoyed drinking and discovering small new wineries that were popping up in the Santa Cruz mountains and the Sierra Foothills.
As Kathryn and Malcolm’s children moved away to college, they talked about starting a family business. An opportunity presented itself to them in a small “Custom Crush Facility in San Marcos, CA”. Kathryn and Malcolm visited the facility, educated themselves at UC Davis in winemaking, wine chemistry and marketing and decided to “seize the opportunity” and purchased the assets of the Custom Crush Facility, all the equipment needed to make wine. No vineyard was included.
During the many visits to San Marcos, Kathryn and Malcolm noticed new vineyards being planted. Local growers were removing acres of high water consumption avocado orchards and preparing the ground to plant vineyards. At that moment Kathryn and Malcolm decided they would produce their wine from locally grown fruit, San Deigo County grapes. To this day, all wine is produced from local fruit within 40 miles of the San Marcos facility and tasting room. Twin Oaks Valley Winery opened a Tasting Room in March 2018 which allows for events such as chocolate, cheese and wine pairings, live music and more.
Kathryn and Malcolm’s son, Michael joined the family business in 2014, helping with production and sales. Michael’s focus is on wholesale to wine bars, restaurants and stores. About 10% of Twin Oaks Valley wines are sold wholesale.
Finally, another aspect of Twin Oaks Valley Winery is to allow small wineries and groups to use the equipment to make their wine called “custom crush”.
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?
The transition from Northern CA to Southern CA has been rather smooth. Kathryn and Malcolm feel fortunate the facility and tasting room is in the agricultural portion of Twin Oaks Valley with neighborhood growth to one side. Our neighborhood is quiet and our members can walk, ride a bike or horse to visit the tasting room.
The challenge that Kathryn and Malcolm’s embrace is educating the wine consumer that San Diego County is making some mighty fine wines. And upon tasting, patrons are pleasantly surprised that San Diego wines can compare positively to the other California wine regions.
Please tell us about your business.
Twin Oaks Valley Winery is family owned and operated. Winemaker, Malcolm Gray can be found pouring wine in the Tasting Room on weekends. This allows patrons direct access to the winemaker, to ask questions about the process, tour the facility, or occasionally taste wines that are still in the barrel.
Kathryn and Malcolm made the decision early on to use FlexTanks. FlexTanks is a new plastic polymer container to ferment and age the wine in. During the aging process, oak is infused to influence the subtle aroma and texture of the wine. Upon achieving the best results the oak is removed to allow for the wine to continue aging without acquiring too much oak.
Kathryn and Malcolm believe customer service is really important. Greeting everyone as they walk in the door helps them to feel welcome and comfortable like our neighborhood has made us feel welcomed.
As the community has embraced Twin Oaks Valley Winery, Kathryn and Malcolm are proud to give back. They are proud supporters of San Marcos Schools, holding fundraisers in the tasting room or donating to school fundraising efforts.
Kathryn and Malcolm have also partnered with The Lucky Duck Foundation to help the homeless. Twin Oaks Valley Winery produces a special blend, Midnight Ache, in which all proceeds go to the foundation.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Kathryn and Malcolm will continue to make the best wine from the finest San Diego County grapes. “Each year the wine gets better”, says wine club member Tom Washburn.
Several of our wines have competition medals, 2013 Sunset Red – 2016 San Diego International Wine and Spirits Challenge, 2013 Zinfandel – 2018 Alameda County Zin Challenge, 2013 Syrah – 2018 OC Wine Society to name a few.
Every season we meet new vineyard owners around the county growing new varietals. We are excited to produce new whites, reds and blends from these local growers. We look forward to the day when wine consumers seek out San Diego County wines and visit our area not only for the beaches but also for the wineries.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1575 Mulberry Drive, San Marcos CA 92069
- Website: www.twinoaksvalleywinery.com
- Phone: (408) 712-0487
- Email: info@twinoaksvalleywinery.com
- Instagram: @twinoaksvalleywinery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinoaksvalleywinery
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/twin-oaks-valley-winery-san-marcos
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