TF Vineyard & Winery – Revisited

TF Vineyard & Winery is a charming boutique winery tucked away in the rolling hills of North Texas just five minutes south of Boyd, and only thirty-five minutes northwest of Fort Worth. Owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Paula Taylor Todd and David Todd, TF Vineyard is one of a small handful of wineries serving a wide area between Fort Worth and Bridgeport. And, I might add, doing so with style. The initials “TF” stand for “Taylor Farm” and pay tribute to Paula’s father who was instrumental in helping the couple establish the vineyard. Paula likes to joke that “TF” also stands for “Terrific Fun” and I would agree.

My wife and I visited the winery on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in January. Driving along Farm Road 730, we enjoyed the views as we searched for our turn onto County Road 4676. Signs along FM-730 and CR-4676 easily guide you to the winery, but I often get engrossed in the scenery and miss my turn, much to my wife’s chagrin. This is North Texas ranch country where you will encounter pastoral scenes of grazing cattle, gamboling sheep, or perhaps even roaming coyotes in search of prey.

Turning onto Private Rd 4689, we followed the winery signs and were careful to avoid the hen and rooster guarding the front gate who pretended not to notice us as we pulled onto the property. From their disinterested demeanor, it was obvious they were well used to visitors. As you enter the property you will see the Todd’s private home to your right, the vineyard to your left, and the winery and tasting room directly ahead. Parking is available along a line adjacent to the vineyard and next to the tasting room.

It had been several years since we had last visited TF Vineyard and I was looking forward to seeing the changes that had occurred during the interim. The most obvious change is a nice expansion of the covered patio adorning the front of the building. This features a firepit and plenty of seating for guests to enjoy a view of the vineyard. A picnic table and firepit are also available in the open area near the vineyard for those who prefer to sit under the open skies.

The winery consists of two separate public areas. The front room serves as a storefront with a serving counter and shelves decorated with various merchandise for purchase, along with racks showcasing their delicious wines and numerous awards. Through a further door you will enter the barrel room which serves as a tasting room and event space. This section of the building was recently extended to add more production and barrel space and will soon serve as expanded room for events and tasting room overflow.

Paula and David greeted us as we entered and directed us to a table in the barrel room where we spent a pleasant afternoon catching up on news and tasting through an excellent selection of wines. David retired from his day job in IT since we last met and is now a full-time grower and winemaker. He currently has just over eight acres, with one acre under vine planted to Lenior, Blanc du Bois, and a small amount of Lomanto.

I was very impressed with all of the wines we tasted. All wines are sourced from 100% Texas fruit and are made there on the property. Favorites were a crisp, dry Blanc du Bois, a deliciously fruit-forward Tempranillo Reserve, a smooth and inky Tannat, a vat tasting of an aromatic soon-to-be-released Roussanne, and a wonderful Merlot with deep rich notes of ripe fruit and smooth tannins. David confided that the Merlot is one of his favorite go-to wines and I can understand why. A bottle of the Tannat and Merlot came home with us.

But TF Vineyards is about more than just great wines. Paula coordinates with a number of local artists and crafters to host a wide variety of fun and imaginative events. These range beyond the usual Paint ‘N Sips (although they host those too) with classes covering everything from resin trays to cookie decorating to making windchimes, birdfeeders, or objets d’art using wine bottles. Be sure to follow their social media posts of Facebook and Instagram to stay informed of classes and dates.

I was very interested to learn that TF Vineyards hosts an annual Amateur Winemakers Competition. As the name implies, wines are submitted by amateur winemakers and evaluated by a panel of judges. Casual attendees of the competition are also invited to participate in a People’s Choice Award. 2024 will mark the fourth year of this event (non-consecutive due to the pandemic) with this year’s date still to be determined. Sign up for the TF Vineyards newsletter to stay informed of this and other events.

TF Vineyard is a member of the Cross Timbers Wine Trail, offering an experience that pairs well with the enjoyment of leisurely gaming at NonStopCasino sites for US players. Wines can be purchased directly from their tasting room but no wine club or online purchasing is available at this time. Be sure to plan a visit the next time you are in the North Texas area.