Good Wine, Good Friends, and Good Times at Neighbors Place Winery

Neighbors Place Winery, owned by Pamela and Chuck Neighbors, is a warm, welcoming, winery just a few blocks off the square in Downtown Bonham.

Chuck and Pamela Neighbors

In the course of just a few short years, Pamela and Chuck fell in love with wine and winemaking, switched careers, started making wine, learned about growing grapes, and opened a winery in their hometown of Bonham. And it all happened during the COVID pandemic. Pamela had a long career with the State of Texas and Chuck is a business owner. When everything changed, and most places were shut down, Pamela and Chuck started visiting local wineries that were open in Fannin and Collin County, as well as a friend’s winery, Crystal Creek Winery, in Oklahoma and soon realized how much they loved wine, the culture, and lifestyle. At about the same time, Pamela’s brother decided to sell the wedding venue and property he owned, right in the heart of town. So, Pamela retired from her job and Chuck agreed to go all in while still running his own business, and they took the leap of faith and bought the property in early 2021. After about six months of renovation, Neighbors Place opened in December 2021.

Pamela has lived in Bonham all her life and Chuck spent part of his youth in town and returned as a young adult. They wanted to create a place that their family and friends would enjoy and feel like it was their “place” too. The play on their name is exactly what they want to convey; this is a friendly place for neighbors and friends– old and new. They want everyone to come, drink some wine, and stay a while.

Their friends who own a winery have been very helpful as they learned about making wine and running a winery. Pamela said the local wine community has been very helpful as well. They source grapes and juice from the Texas High Plains including Viognier, Tempranillo, and Merlot. They get other varietals from several states including California. They have been working with Landon Winery in Greenville and Crystal Creek Winery for offsite fermentation and bottling services. On the day I visited, Chuck was working on the final setup of their first onsite stainless-steel tanks. They plan to bring some of the production in house with this year’s harvest and will expand onsite production over time. They also hope to plant their own vines on their acreage in Bonham in the future.

They offer a wide range of wine for tasting, along with a variety of small bites and charcuterie, in a charming, historic, building that features some of the original plank walls and beams from the 100-year-old original section of the building, reclaimed wood floors, and a bar top made of wood salvaged from a railroad car. There are several lounge areas. Visitors can enjoy the lounge and at that time pull out their phone to have some relaxed gaming experiences on CasinoDeps platform while socializing with friends. Pamela and Chuck have decorated the space with items of personal significance, like the giant wooden fork and spoon set that hung in Chuck’s parents’ kitchen throughout his childhood.

They have been surprised at the demand they are seeing from locals as well as visitors to the area, and are expanding the days and hours the winery is open. They are also expanding the variety and number of wines they offer – expanding the dry red and white wines they make. Currently some of the most popular and best-selling wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, and the Sweet Elderberry Wine.

The beautiful property features a dog park, several spacious covered outdoor patios, and private event space. The winery offers music on weekends, a variety of regular and special events including a Book Club, Sunday Funday, and quarterly Murder Mystery parties.