Deschain Cellars, Winery & Lounge in Gainesville, TX

Our Story

Deschain Cellars—the convivial “little winery that could”—is the passion project of Willem Johnson and Kristin Mapstone. It reflects Willem’s lifetime of experience in wine, hospitality, and engineering, and gives Kristin a chance to channel some offline creativity after spending much of her time running an online marketing company.

Willem and Kristin share a pioneering spirit and couldn’t resist the opportunity to help build the North Texas wine scene while supporting the revitalization of downtown Gainesville. When they found this fully wooded, undeveloped property just off US-82, they knew the right time and place to start a new adventure had finally aligned.

Winemaking at Deschain Cellars

A wine and hospitality industry veteran, Willem was the first sommelier hired by Vail Resorts, where he spent more than two decades managing their wine program. During that time, he also made wine for private club members as the co-owner of Churchill Cellars in Wolcott, Colorado, where he met Kristin while she was visiting Vail.

A move to North Texas in 2015 brought him to Muenster’s 4R Ranch Vineyards & Winery, where he served as founding winemaker until early 2020. His wines have earned awards across the U.S. and internationally, including a Sweepstake Medal from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the oldest and most prestigious blind tasting in the country. Willem is proud to be the first and only Texas-based winemaker to receive this honor.

Our wines made in an Old World style more in line with European traditions than modern California trends. That means aging in neutral oak and taking a minimal approach in the cellar, without relying on heavy-handed adjustments or shortcuts to shape the wine.

We let the fruit do the talking and avoid heavy manipulation, so each vintage carries its own fingerprint that’s shaped by how the fruit grew that year. The result is wines that are balanced, food-friendly, and meant to be enjoyed without overthinking them.

That philosophy carries through everything at Deschain, where the goal has always been to serve some of the finest wine and food in the area in a place that feels relaxed and never stuffy.

A One-of-a-Kind Space

The idea of building with used shipping containers—that would otherwise be littering our country—captured Willem’s imagination years ago. A science fair project with Kristin’s son on the insulating capabilities of a Yeti cooler sparked the idea to apply similar principles to steel containers, essentially creating a building-sized cooler to manage cellar temperatures in the Texas heat.

Kristin was “not immediately on board” (a Texas-sized understatement), but once she saw the design, she decided to give it a shot.

They originally set out to create a “post-apocalyptic old west” aesthetic using recycled materials. That vision proved both fun and challenging…especially as the realities of building with shipping containers pushed the project well beyond its original budget. Along the way, much of the space was lovingly “handcrafted” by the family.

If you find yourself looking around and thinking, “that table base looks like an $8 Ikea bowl,” or “that backsplash looks like a rusty ceiling tile,” you’re probably right.

The end result doesn’t fit neatly into a category, but that’s kind of who we are. The hope is that it feels less like a venue and more like your best friend’s house.

Hospitality

Along with serving up Willem’s award winning wines, Team Deschain genuinely looks forward to providing each guest with a unique and memorable experience, old school customer service and approachable wine education.

The best thing about this winery is our guests!  We genuinely thank you for supporting us!!!