Our Story

Owners, Jay and Melissa, met at a winery. Of course. One could say that the rest was history, but it was a long road to Fountain City Winery.

Jay, received his Master’s in History at Youngstown State University, before moving to California to complete his doctorate at UC Davis, in the heart of California wine country. This is where he fell in love with the art of winemaking. Inspired by the flavors of his surroundings he decided to expand the road he was on. He enrolled in Viticulture and Enology courses. This brought him many great opportunities to learn even more about winemaking at several local vineyards.

From there, he moved across the country to experience winemaking on the East Coast. As fun as that was, his goal was to return to the Midwest. Jay became head winemaker at Cedar Ridge in Cedar Rapids, IA. Here, he honed his skills using available fruits, winning several prestigious awards for his wines along the way. Wanting to start a project of his own, Melissa convinced him that Kansas City was the place to be!

Melissa, a student of art and lover of wine already called Kansas City her home. She and Jay met at her “for fun” job, pouring wine tastings at a local winery owned by mutual friends. She brings a wealth of experience in running a tasting room as well as managing events. A teacher at heart, Melissa loves to share both her love of art (she has taught many a painting class) as well as her love of wine. The two aren’t so different after all!