TF Vineyard & Winery

On a couple of our wine road trips to the Red River area, we noticed signage along the frontage roads for a new winery in Boyd called TF Vineyard & Winery. Since it was in an area we visit several times a year, we decided to add TF Vineyard & Winery to our list of new wineries to visit.

In November, we had the perfect opportunity to finally check them off the list, so we started making plans. As with any time we are going to visit a new winery, we always contact them asking about seating and snack plate options or the possibility of bringing our own food. We were impressed with the quick responses we received from Paula Todd, co-owner, to each email we sent, especially considering there have been a few wineries that never responded to our emails or messages even after several attempts. Paula inquired about the date we would be coming out as they had some upcoming events scheduled that she wanted us to be aware of, which we very much appreciated as we always like to avoid known busy times.

The day of our visit finally came, so we hit the road early to be at the winery around opening time in hopes of beating any afternoon rush. When you pull onto the grounds, the tasting room is straight ahead with some outdoor seating and a fire pit, and the vineyard is to the left. While I was taking pictures, Mom headed to the tasting room where she was immediately met by Paula who asked if she was Irene. After confirming that she indeed was Irene, Paula informed us there was a small baby shower being held in the tasting room, but she held a table for us since she knew we planned on stopping by around that time. Yet another thing that impressed us because there was no guarantee we would be there, yet she ensured we had a place to sit just in case.

Since the tasting room was set up for a shower, I cannot speak to the amount of indoor seating they have, but based upon the size of the room, I imagine there is room for between at least 10 – 15 people. There is a small tasting bar in the back left-hand corner of the room and wine racks containing wine for sale along the back wall. There is also a small area with gift items to purchase along the front wall. There is a tasting fee for four wines, and there are two snack tray options. The first option includes cheese, crackers, and olives with the second option including the same plus meat.

Paula and David Todd

During the course of our time there we enjoyed visiting with Paula and her husband David Todd, co-owner and winemaker, learning how TF Vineyard & Winery came to be. Early on both Paula and David volunteered at Windy Winery in Brenham in order to gain working knowledge of vineyard management and running a winery. In 2012, they found the perfect location to open their own winery and in 2013, construction began and the vines were planted. They have nine acres of land and currently have one acre of vines planted consisting of Blanc du Bois and Lenoir with one row of mixed varietals. After years of hard work and dedication, the tasting room finally opened in the fall of 2017. While the tasting room has only been opened a little over a year, David has been making wine for 15 years. He has entered his wines in non-commercial wine competitions and won numerous awards, which are proudly displayed in the tasting room. They already have plans to expand, so it will be interesting to see their growth over the coming years.

For our tastings we sampled the following wines:

• Estate Blanc du Bois Dry
• Rock Island (50% Estate Blanc du Bois, 50% Malvasia Bianca)
• Rosé (90% Malvasia Bianca, 10% Tempranillo)
• Estate Blanc du Bois Off Dry
• Estate Blanc du Bois Sweet
• Seasonal Plum wine
• Blush (Estate Lenoir, Estate Blanc du Bois)
• Tempranillo
• Estate Lenoir
• Merlot

As previously mentioned, TF Vineyard & Winery grows Blanc du Bois and Lenoir grapes. All other varietals used are Texas sourced, which we definitely liked to hear.

We had another stop ahead of us, so we thanked Paula and David for their hospitality and headed on our way.

If you are ever in the area, please stop by and see what TF Vineyard & Winery has to offer.