Fort Worth Gets a New Winery Tasting Room — Rancho Loma Vineyards is Here

Fort Worth has gotten quite sudsy in recent years, with a veritable bloom of ever-expanding craft breweries in this fair city. Cowtown’s also become home to a several quality distilleries ― TX Whiskey, Black Eyed Vodka, Acre, Trinity River and Blackland among the most notable.

But wineries are still a novelty. That’s why the arrival of Rancho Loma Vineyards, which just opened its fabulous new tasting room and courtyard this week on South Main Street, is so heartening.

There are plenty of wine bars to choose from in town — nearby Cadillac Wines, classy Cru in Clearfork, and the brand new Thirty Eight and Vine with its unique self-dispensing format. But a dedicated winery tasting room is still rare in Fort Worth. Times Ten Cellars filled that niche at one time ― until its closure in January of 2018, near the Foch Street Warehouses (one location remains in Dallas’ Lakewood area).

Rancho Loma Vineyards hails from West Texas, where it has a large tasting room in Coleman. The winery’s original tasting room is, in fact, four times as big as the offshoot that just opened in Fort Worth. Still, the new space bears a definite family resemblance ― like the iron-work surrounding the bar and wine cabinet, and the  plush, blue velvet sofa, holding court near the entrance.

About that. . .

You’ve got to be on your toes to locate Rancho Loma in the first place. It is tucked just off the alley way to the right of the building known as The 4 Eleven ― an industrial chic wedding venue that boasts a unique collection of shops as well. Alchemy Pops, Tangled Hair Salon, Winton and Waits, and The Greenhouse 817 all call The 4 Eleven home.

Wander down that indescript alley, and you’ll happen upon a random, brick-wrapped courtyard. . . that’s what you’re looking for. Rancho Loma Vineyards (RLV for short) just painted a sign above the door this week, which will make finding it a bit easier.

RLV produced its first vintage in 2016 and have been collecting awards ever since. The Texas winery brought home a lot of hardware last year, from earning double gold at the Texas International Wine Competition for its 2017 Nocturnal to nabbing another gold for the 2017 The Tempter Reserve from The San Francisco International Wine Competition. Rancho Loma wines are worthy of exploration.

Nocturnal Albarino is described as having “bright acidity with hints of green apple and stone fruit, while The Tempter is a rich red with “earthy notes of forest floor” and a “juicy cassis finish.”

All Rancho Loma wines are sourced from Reddy Vineyard grapes and all but three are blends.

“Everything is grown, produced and bottled at Reddy,” general manager Gilbert Saucedo tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “There’s a strong Texas component to Fort Worth. We were especially interested in the Southside, as a way to introduce our wines to a young, professional crowd here.”

The new space is quiet and quaint. The courtyard is stylish with lounge seating and a classy bar. There is plenty of shade in the afternoon and heaters are perfectly positioned throughout the space for the temperamental springtime. Inside there is a separate tasting room for meetings and private events.

The tasting bar is U-shaped and surrounded by scattered custom-made pecan topped tables. It’s all very inviting —the kind of place that invites lingering.

With four new coffee shops very nearby, Saucedo hopes people will do just that and take advantage of the courtyard and tasting room in a similar way.

“We want to offer an alternative space to meet people and get work done. You can come here and stay for a few hours lounging or returning emails,” he says.

Wines are available by the glass or bottle, or for tasting in either three-pour ($14) or five-pour ($20) options.

“We are promoting Texas producers and products,” Saucedo says. Classic charcuterie and cheese boards feature local Veldhuizen cheeses, and shareable plates range from ahi tuna tartare and duck mousse to Perini Ranch mesquite smoked, peppered beef tenderloin.

Rancho Loma’s hours are Tuesdays through Thursdays from 2 pm to 9 pm, Fridays from 2 pm to midnight, Saturdays from 11 am to midnight, and Sundays from noon to 5 pm to start. The winery is kid-friendly and the patio is dog-friendly too. Live music will begin on Saturdays in March.