About

ABOUT

Urban Vintner

Urban Vintner was founded in 2016 by Ed Trebets and Gregg Turk. We started Urban Vintner because we wanted to bring back winemaking to the city where our forefathers started their winemaking traditions. In San Francisco, pre-the 1907 Earthquake, there were over 100 wineries in the city proper. After the destruction that took place, the wineries moved out to what is now Napa, Sonoma, and the other growing regions. The younger generation is bringing winemaking back to the city and there are now 25 urban wineries in the city of San Francisco.

Our goal is to bring winemaking to the City of Willoughby. City residents and visitors will be able to experience the production of wine right in the city. The crushing and pressing of grapes will be on display at our production facility and tasting studio on North Industrial Parkway in Willoughby, OH. Visitors will be able to see production from grape to bottle.

The wines will be made from fruit received from growers that Winemaker, Ed Trebets has established relationships with throughout his career. The fruit will be gently processed and given extra care for them to be reserve wines and reflect Ed’s signature style. Urban Vintner’s first wine is a reserve cabernet sauvignon made from grapes brought in from Calaveras County which is southeast of Sacramento. Twisted Oak and Ironstone are two of the wineries in this region.

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Ed Trebets, Winemaker/Owner

Ed is a native Northeastern Ohio resident. Growing up in Mentor, he spent the majority of his time in Mentor and the surrounding neighborhoods playing multiple sports and enjoying the outdoors. His college years took him right down the road to Case Western Reserve University where he majored in Chemistry and excelled at football and baseball. After earning a Master’s degree in Education from John Carrol University, he taught high school chemistry for seven years at Beachwood High School. This is where Ed’s life took a complete turn and a decision was made that would affect his future working career.

Ed was offered the Head Winemaking Position at Debonne Vineyards in Madison, OH in 2004 and spent the next 13 years there. In his tenure at Debonne, Ed won over 1,000 medals for his wines, including multiple Best of Shows and his 2013 Vidal Ice wine was highlighted at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition as the best ice wine in North America. In the spring of 2016, Ed decided it was time to move on and pursue his own business venture and his dream was to start it in the city. Ed has a passion for winemaking and his goal now is to source the best quality fruit from other parts of the country and even from select regions in the world. Ed strives to produce the highest quality wines by paying special attention to the fruit and the process.

Gregg Turk,

Owner

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Growing up in Wickliffe, Ohio Gregg enjoyed spending time with his family and playing a multitude of sports. He received his Bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University and his Masters from the University of Akron.

Gregg is a CPA and has spent his professional career in accounting and finance. He is a currently Chief Financial Officer at a local wholesale equipment company.

Gregg and his wife Jeannine have three kids and live in Concord, Ohio.

Ed and Gregg have been friends and teammates throughout high school and college and their strong friendship have led them into this adventure!