Part Texan, part Italian, and completely delicious–that’s how I describe Bull Lion Ranch and Vineyard to North Texas newcomers. The family-owned winery was founded in 2010, following an Italian-American winemaking heritage that was passed down through generations. Make it part of your weekend wine trip, and enjoy Italian hospitality, Texas style!
If you think you’ve gone too far, you’ve gone just far enough. Bull Lion’s urban tasting room sits at the very southern end of Downtown Grapevine’s winery district, around the corner from the main drag. One room holds a Rat Pack-themed lounge with sofas, and the entryway holds a cozy Italian-Western bar. (The winery shares the building with an art gallery and a lending company.) There’s a few parking spaces out front–otherwise, it’s just a hop and a skip from nearby parking spots on Main Street.
Once inside, you can order wines by the glass, flight, and bottle. Bull Lion specializes in bold Italian-style reds made from 100% Texas grapes. Popular pours include their locally famous “Texianti” Sangiovese-based blend and the smooth, whiskey barrel-aged “Pancho & Lefty.” Small plates are available, too: Pizzas, cheese and salami, and seasonal Italian dessert offerings like homemade cannoli.
The black grape varieties hail from Bull Lion’s 10 acres of vineyards in Hico, Texas. (It’s just under two hours from Dallas. So, not technically the Wild West, but still a ways over yonder!) They also source fruit from cooler sites in the Texas High Plains in order to offer two white wines–a dry Trebbiano and a sweet Moscato.
A working ranch, Bull Lion’s Central Texas estate is also the home of Registered Red Angus cattle and Performance Paint Horses. The winery is open for visits on weekends so travelers can peep at the vines and meet the critters. Texas tourists can combine it with a visit to Hico, a historic railroad town that claims a connection to Billy the Kid and is brimming with shops, galleries, and Western kitsch.
But if it’s just a nice glass of wine you’re hankering for, you can skip the drive and get it right here in DFW. We’ve visited Bull Lion’s various North Texas locations many times over the years, often on wine walks or as part of a wine tour. (The previous tasting room was in a former mid-century gas station on the corner of College and Main. They moved a couple doors down to their current spot in 2024.)
Most recently, we’d tasted their wines as part of the People’s Choice Classic wine competition at 2025’s GrapeFest. Bull Lion had a triumphant showing in the People’s Choice this year, medalling in four divisions: Red Blend (the aforementioned Texianti), Bold Red (Malbec), Medium Red (Montepulciano), and Blush/Rosé (for Bella Rosa, their rosé of Sangiovese).
It was a pleasure to drop in at Bull Lion on a slow, chilly Saturday afternoon. The string lights were twinkling and the winter special–$10 mulled Texas wine–was simmering in the Crock-Pot. It was ladled into coffee cups for the visitors who wandered in to warm their bones.
We opted for the tasting ($18, five pours). Eager to revisit some proven winners and try new releases, too, we built our own flight of dry reds.
The Sangiovese was up first–a dry, intensely flavored red with a tart cherry finish and a little almond and vanilla from its time in barrel. (Bull Lion bleeds off some of the juice for rosé to make a thicker, more robust Sangio than the typical Texas style.) The Texianti (blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano) showed its fruity-and-savory appeal with aromas of stewed red plum, stewed cherries, light smoke, mulberry, dried green herbs, and sarsaparilla.
The most structured among the wines we tasted was the Family Reserva, a four-way blend of Aglianico, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, and Primitivo. Medium-plus body and tannins, with some peppery and herbaceous flavors and a noticeably saline finish. (I would love to try this with an olive oil and herb-marinated skirt steak!)
Not wanting to miss any of the reds, we also tried the Montepulciano (black-fruited, round and ripe), an oak-spiced Cabernet, and a youthful, blackberry-scented Malbec. The Cabernet Frank was another standout: Smooth on the nose with cooked plums and vanilla, it bursts open in the glass with wild berries (boysenberry and mulberry), black pepper, and a mouth-watering Worcestershire-soy note.
White-wine and sweet-wine drinkers won’t find too many options here (there’s a Sangria!), but red wine lovers will have plenty to choose from. If you’re not sure what to order, the helpful tasting room staff are ready to pour samples or make recommendations.
In true Southern Italian fashion, these are all non-vintage, early drinking wines–ready for you to pop the cork and say “Salute, y’all!” They’re characterized by big, extra-ripe fruit, a touch of oak, and moderate alcohol (most are around 13% ABV). Bull Lion’s wines can be enjoyed with or without food–but they really shine with a plate of spaghetti and red sauce and a buttery hunk of garlic bread.
What: Bull Lion Ranch Grapevine Tasting Room
Where: 150 W. College Street, Grapevine TX 76051
How much: Wine tasting $18, pizzas and appetizers $12-$14, wines by the glass $12 and up, wines by the bottle $29 and up.
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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