Tucked away in Deep East Texas amongst the beautiful pine-covered hills near Atlanta, my wife and I arrived at O’Farrell Country Vineyards. We were excited about this winery visit that will allow us a first-time opportunity to learn about the process of growing and producing unique wines from Muscadine grapes and area fresh fruits.
O’Farrell Country Vineyards began in 2006 when Benny Moore and his dad (Papa) planted Muscadine vines for a U-Pick operation that opened in 2008. The Winery opened in 2011. Before all of this, Benny and his wife Judy had a great 20-year career in the Air Force followed by a 20-year career with International Paper Company. Along the way, their family grew by three married children and seven grandchildren. O’Farrell Country Vineyards has become a family affair. Three generations are now involved in the business and many extended family and friends join in during harvest and other activities. Volunteers are always welcome here!
The vineyard was planted where the O’Farrell, Texas Post Office was located from the 1880s to 1905. From the original 14 rows of vines, O’Farrell Country Vineyards has grown to include about 70 rows and 600 plants. The one thing that has not changed is all 14 varieties grown in the vineyard are Muscadines, cultivars developed more than 100 years from this grape species which are native to North America. The vineyard includes multiple varieties of both black and bronze Muscadines. From these grapes, they make seven Muscadine wines from dry to sweet. They also make four sweet wines from fresh local fruit. With its colorful signage and peaceful landscape this vineyard offers the opportunity to sit on the patio overlooking the vineyard and drink a glass.
Shortly after we arrived at the tasting room we were greeted by Benny and Judy’s son, BJ Moore, who primarily takes care of the vineyard. The Barn that now houses the tasting room was built with lumber salvaged from the old two-room O’Farrell schoolhouse. It was converted to the tasting room in 2011. When you visit, you need to be sure to look around the tasting room and observe the beautiful wood used in the construction and remodeling. BJ indicated that his brother-in-law, Lyle McBride, would be doing the tasting with us and give us a tour of the facilities including the wine production room as well.
Lyle is the winemaker for O’Farrell Country Vineyards. I have known him from several Piney Woods Wine Trail activities. He is well known for his award-winning Muscadine wines that are handcrafted, have a full aroma, and are very fruit-forward. Since they are not aged in barrels, the wines don’t have oaky flavors to compete with the taste of the grapes or fruit.
Our tasting began while we were seated outside on the shaded patio. We had ordered a charcuterie board from a nice selection of food items. It’s a good thing we did since we ended up tasting 11 wines (very small pours of course). On the day of our visit, there were 14 wines available:
- 2 dry Muscadine wines
- 1 Tempranillo (Texas Treasure)
- 2 Semi-sweet Muscadine wines
- 3 Sweet Muscadine wines
- 5 Sweet fruit wines from local fresh fruit
- 1 Fortified fruit wine
The tastings were offered in a “you pick a fixed number of wines for a fixed price.” Since it was our first Muscadine and fruit wine tasting, Lyle wanted us to experience most of their wines. We tasted the following:
- Vintage Country – Dry White Muscadine
- Smokehouse Red – Dry Red Muscadine
- Magnolia – Semi-sweet White Muscadine
- Legacy – Semi-sweet Red Muscadine
- Moonglow – Sweet White Muscadine
- Sassy Sisters -Sweet Blush Muscadine
- Cheeky Peach – Sweet White Peach
- Black Beauty – Sweet blend of Blackberries and Muscadine
- Blue Diva – Sweet 100% Northeast Texas Blueberries
- Chocolate Blue Diva – Sweet Blueberries and Chocolate
- Cowgirl Up – Sweet Blueberries and Blackberries Fortified to 19.2 ABV
Our takeaway from our first-ever tasting of Muscadine and fruit wines was very positive. We can still taste the Blueberries from the Blue Diva. We took home a bottle of Magnolia, Legacy, and of course the Blue Diva.
After the tasting, Lyle gave us a tour of the tasting room and winery area. He pointed out many parts of the old Barn that were saved and incorporated into the remodeled building. We were also very impressed with O’Farrell’s modern wine production room which also houses the office and is where Lisse McBride, Lyle’s wife and daughter of Benny and Judy, works most of her magic, from procuring fruit to paying taxes and managing license compliance. During the tour of the winemaking area, we were given a taste of wine from a stainless-steel tank that was a blend of Viognier and a white Muscadine and not yet bottled. It was amazing!!
L-R: Lyle & Lisse McBride, Benny & Judy Moore, BJ & Lori Moore
O’Farrell Country Vineyard is another one of those “hidden East Texas gems” that is owned and operated by a family with deep East Texas roots! It is a unique winery and vineyard that is a down-home addition to the Texas wine industry. It offers the chance to taste a truly American wine that is made from Muscadine grapes that are native to America. It certainly opened our “dry red and white wine only, thank-you” world to a whole new world of enjoyable Muscadine and fruit wines grown in the surrounding area.
Leave a Reply