Tehuacana Creek Vineyards and Winery, also known as TCV, is located in Waco and is owned by Ulf and Inga-Lill Westblom, both originally from Sweden. Ulf is also the winemaker. They started planting the first of four vineyards in March 1997 and the winery opened to the public in 2006. To help others, including myself initially, Tehuacana Creek is pronounced like “To-walk-in-a-Creek.” The name of the winery comes from the creek which runs on the border of their land.
When I visited, Jenny greeted me on my way up to the winery. Inside were the Westbloms but Jenny handled my tasting. Tastings are done while standing at the tasting bar and the tastings are free for all available wines. I was able to taste nine wines when I visited the winery. The wine bottles are corked and the wines are poured from the bottle. You can buy food while at the winery which you can enjoy while drinking their Texas wine.
In addition to information from Jenny, Ulf also talked with me and gave me a history of his wine making and the winery. Ulf explained how he came from a wine making family. Not professionally, but his mother made apple wines and his grandfather made barley wine. So it was just a natural while he was in college in Europe he made his first wine in 1974. In the tasting room, he still has the very last bottle of the very last wine he made in college unopened. It was called Krökarvin. Ulf said every time someone who understands Swedish comes into the winery and sees the bottle, they start laughing because they know what it means: “Wine to get drunk on.”
Tehuacana Creek Vineyards and Winery uses about 75% Texas grapes. The first varietal grown was Norton and they were the second Texas vineyard to plant Norton in 1997. They followed that by planting Blanc du Bois and Black Spanish which they use to make a port. The winery has two acres of vineyards where they also grow Favorite, a clone of Black Spanish, and Herbemont. Tehuacana Creek Vineyards and Winery makes over 18 different kinds of Texas wines, all blends. When the wine is oaked, they use American oak barrels.
Both Ulf and Inga-Lill have 35 years of experience of being semi-professional wine tasters by being wine judges, wine critics, and teaching wine courses. Their philosophy on creating their wine blends come from the consumer point of view and they would never blend anything they wouldn’t buy themselves.
Tehuacana Creek Vineyards and Winery also makes Mulsum which is a white wine sweetened with honey made from a 2,000 year old Roman recipe and it is their number one seller. During the holidays, a warm Swedish Glögg is made which is very popular. The winery produces about 500 cases of Texas wine a year.
Free tours are available of the production facilities in the nearby building. There is a nice gift shop and in fact I bought two waiter’s corkscrews which I had been looking for. There are also jams and cheeses available in addition to wine accessories and other gifts.
Tehuacana Creek Vineyards and Winery has a wine club. They also hold wine tasting classes and wine tasting gourmet dinners.
Live music events are held at the winery in addition to private parties. They plan on building a bigger tasting room and event room for weddings and parties.
If you are in the Waco area, you will not regret stopping by and visiting Tehuacana Creek Vineyards and Winery.
We would love to come share and pair our hand made bitter-sweet chocolate truffles with your wines !! 210-383-2923