FarmResort Winery

Whitewright, Texas welcomed a beautiful new winery, wedding, and event venue recently. On July 28th, the FarmResort Winery opened the doors to its healthy living destination and a great crowd of curious locals were quite pleased with what they found; mother nature’s beautiful landscape accompanied by lively musicians, easy drinking wine, delicious barbeque, a gorgeous new venue, and a lovely family run operation. Located a little less than an hour north of McKinney (in the Texoma A.V.A.) with a nod to the whole of mind, body, and spirit, FarmResort Winery seeks to provide its customers beyond 10 reasons to come to this “land like a canvas” 140 acre countryside destination, says owner Dr. Gabriel Bruffy-Holmes who operates the business with his mother and brother, while he continues to serve as an emergency room physician. He is succeeding at providing more than 10 reasons to come and visit FarmResort.

As you arrive at what is honestly a very large piece of land like a canvas, as described, this beautiful barn meets modern, tornado resistant building jumps out at you. Little do you realize that behind it sits a six-acre lake stocked with bluegills, sunfish, and minnows – for catch and release. Black angus and wagyu cattle are grazing organically farmed hay fields. Organically farmed fruits and vegetables are growing for an on-site organic market and Farm to Table events created by guest chefs inside. AND a field of 43,000 tulips (yes, 43,000) has been planted for Springtime “you pick” festivals. Gabriel, according to his mother, Liz, doesn’t do things in small quantities.

Inside this fabulous 8,500 square foot structure, you’ll find a huge “Main Congregating” area where weddings and special events for a crowd of up to 300 people are being hosted, a conference room, a Grooms room, and more.

This main room is where there’s always a place to sit to appreciate the view out the huge windows showing off the lake in the 100+ acres of panoramic “back of the house” while you enjoy wine from their menu of eight selections.

Whites and Rosé:

• Moscato, Riesling, Viognier and Rosé

Reds:

• Dry and Sweet Red Blends, Malbec, and Merlot

My favorites were the Rosé and the Malbec.

The commercial kitchen is off the charts huge. Please recall my earlier comment from Gabriel’s mom, “doesn’t do things small.” The kitchen is the indoor confirmation of his mom’s insights into her son’s way of envisioning this canvas he’s brought to life. Their charcuterie boards and pizza from their incredible pizza oven are quite popular among the patrons. Part of Gabriel’s vision also includes a Dinner Club and Chef Hosted cooking classes. He’s recently hosted both Italian and French themed evenings where guests bring a dish to share. Dinner Club events will resume in March 2020.

Coming up in November, they’re introducing a soup and bread feature as the weather becomes chilly around here. And just in time for the seasonal holidays, there will be a chef instructed cookie baking and decorating class for families. The collection of cookie cutters ready and waiting for this event is incredible.

I mentioned the groom’s room earlier, but I was still talking about the first floor. The bride’s room is on the second floor and boasts a huge beauty bar and beyond elegant space for a bride and her party of attendants to prepare for a ceremony either in the Main Congregating area or outside on property. While upstairs, brides can also enjoy a private outdoor balcony, which may also be reserved for a private wine tasting space.

Gabriel mentioned he is planning to introduce a med spa feature as well in the future. Just another one of the beyond 10 reasons to come out to the FarmResort Winery and stay a while. At his Grand Opening, he told a group of friends from Grayson College, where he obtained his Associates Degree in Viticulture and Enology, “I’ve been dreaming about this forever.” And he told me recently he wants this healthy living destination to represent what he and his family want for themselves to gather and enjoy, and he wants them to share it broadly. He is well on his way to doing just that.