A leisurely wine tasting sounded like the perfect way to end a hectic holiday weekend. Feeling curious and thirsty, I made my way to Times Ten Cellars, an urban winery in East Dallas’s historic Lakewood neighborhood.
Open since 2005, Times Ten is well-known locally as a bookable venue for wedding dinners and private receptions. But they also make their own wine, and the wine is what we came for.
I stepped beneath the marble-clad lintel (the building is a converted 1945 post office) and up to the L-shaped bartop. There are some counter-height tables in the barroom, too, and more private seating areas around the building, including a patio. As I took a seat, I was greeted with ice water and a double-sided menu with wines on one side and food on the other.
The bar pours mostly Times Ten’s own wines. They ferment wine on-site from grapes sourced from vineyards in California and Texas. The tank and barrel rooms are just a few steps away, in the building extension that also functions as an event space.
The list is rounded out by a few selections from other wineries including local favorite Messina Hof Winery. If you feel like sparkling wine, non-alcoholic wine, sangria, or Port, there are options on the list for you, too. The concise food menu offers wine-friendly, share-able plates including flatbreads, cheese boards, and dips.
What to drink? Times Ten Cellars celebrated their 20th anniversary earlier this year, so I knew I had to try the commemorative Anniversary Cab. My wife and I gravitated toward a sampling of six of Times Ten’s reds: The “Call Me A ‘Cab’” flight and the “Staff Favorites” flight ($16 each).
These are early-drinking, approachable wines–ideal for pairing with snacks and conversation. Nothing is sweet or over-oaked, and the character of each varietal really shines.
The 2023 Merlot is concentrated and balanced with big flavors of cherry, plum, and blackberry fruit with just a hint of smooth cocoa. The lone Texas-grown wine on my flight (the 2018 Tempranillo) was a worthy example of the style, bringing stewed blackberry and prunes laced with lingering smoke and BBQ spice.
Her favorite was the juicy 2023 Cabernet Franc, loaded with soft dark berries and fragrant wet violets. We also enjoyed a complimentary taste of the 2021 Santa Barbara GSM, the most mature and savory of the bunch. Leather and dried herbs join cranberry and dusty rose for a dry Rhône-style blend with earthy appeal.
It was a Saturday afternoon and–aside from a few brunching couples and trios–we had the place to ourselves. (That’s because all of DFW was at freakin’ NorthPark mall that day. Ask me how I know.) The chandeliers were casting a cozy glow on the charcoal-colored walls, and the volume of music and conversation was at a low hum. It was a peaceful place to escape holiday traffic and sip small-batch wines made right here in Dallas.
I took a quick stroll though the barrel room, where a long table was being set for a private tasting. (Times Ten’s interconnected series of spaces can be rented/reserved separately or bundled together to accommodate gatherings of 8 up to 175 people.)
Looking for a fun and educational group activity? Times Ten Cellars offers guided group tastings by reservation. The cost is $32 per person with a 6-person minimum.
I love that you don’t have to drive out of the city to find locally made wine, and Times Ten Cellars was a friendly and chill place to stop in for a glass. Check out their weekly “Sunday Fundays” for a $20 special on bottles of rosé and sangria pitchers!
Where: Times Ten Cellars, 6324 Prospect Ave, Dallas, TX 75214
When: Closed Mondays. See their website for current hours. Walk-ins welcome, reservations requested for groups larger than 6-8 people.
How much: Wine by the glass is $10 and up, and wine by the bottle is $30 and up. (Lower pricing available for take-home bottles.) Wine flights (3 pours) are $15-$18. Appetizers start at $10 and cheese boards start at $20.
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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