Brought together by chance through a mutual friend at Appalachian State, we discovered that we had written similar business plans for an urban winery in Asheville
We met several times and discovered we had the same philosophy about supporting a community of farmers, winemakers, artists, and chefs while making wine using local grapes. The rest is history in the making . . .
Lauren Turpin
EXECUTIVE MANAGER
Born in Winston-Salem, NC on Black Sunday (you'll understand if you're an ACC basketball fan), Lauren has always felt a deep connection with the state. Though she moved away for some years, it was her love of NC that brought her back soon after college. Taking a break from her first career in project management and information science, she met Lee while both were working in a brewery. As a graduate of Babson College and UNC-Chapel Hill, she felt she had the tools and experience to launch a company and when the opportunity presented itself she jumped at the chance to start an urban winery. To further her wine education she earned WSET Level 2 certification and loves doing blind tastings. She encourages all wine lovers to give NC grapes and wine a chance to impress you!
Chris Denesha
WINEMAKER
Chris grew up in the Central Valley of California and was never really exposed to wine or farming until he was in college at Sonoma State University. While at Sonoma State, he began working for wineries in the area and took a special interest in the growing aspect. In 2011, Chris left California to work and study more diverse farms and vineyards from Utah and Washington, to Italy and Spain. He met his wife, Kelsey, on one of these farms and she convinced him to explore the mountains of her home state in North Carolina. They moved to Boone, North Carolina in 2014 where Chris started working for a local winery and started managing several vineyards in the area. The excitement for Western North Carolina’s grape growing future was something that led Chris and Kelsey to buy land in Madison County and move forward with establishing plēb urban winery with partner Lauren Turpin. The rest is a mystery.
Lee Turpin
FRONT OF HOUSE OPERATIONS
Born in and raised all over North Carolina, Lee has averaged just under one move per year for his entire life (until now). At 14 he started washing dishes for a fish camp in the woods and has since worked all roles front and back of house. He worked for 16 years in the service industry before becoming an oncology pharmacist. This nebulous lifestyle has led to the desire to seek out variety- he is one of those people that never orders the same drink twice. He brings this open minded approach to our taproom in an effort to ensure that everyone is comfortable and eager to try something new. In his loads of free time you’ll find him tinkering on an instrument, experimenting with food and homebrew recipes, playing a 30 year old video game, or wistfully planning a trip to some place he and Lauren have never been. On nice days you can find him fighting with a tree stump in the yard of their West Asheville bungalow, out from which he plans to be carried.
Loosely inspired by the Roman plebeian community who worshipped the gods of agriculture, fertility, and viticulture we too seek to represent cultivators past and present who brought grapes to glass – farmers, harvesters, winemakers.
