Since then, the winery has grown to offer more than 250 wines and now has a full service kitchen on Main Street in Grapevine.
“It’s been a fun, interesting ride the last 10 years but we’ve continued to grow, change and evolve with the times. That’s probably one of the things that has led to us still being open,” Kaufman said.
What's on the menu
Alongside its large wine selection, Wine Fusion has a bar that includes a full spirit selection and 25 different beer options, Kaufman said.
The kitchen serves sea bass on a bed of parmesan chorizo risotto with herbs, spices and spinach leaves, topped with a melted, house-made brie cream cheese reduction.
Other dishes include red wine-braised short ribs served over mashed potatoes, half-pound angus beef burgers topped with a garlic aioli sauce, grilled chicken ancho chile pasta and fish and chips.
“Our menu is pretty diverse in that I have picked every item on this menu to try to appease a wide range of people,” Kaufman said.
Wine Fusion also has blending classes every weekend to teach wine lovers how to make red or white wine blends. Participants will learn tips on blending techniques and then leave the class with a bottle of their custom blend.
“It started off where we would make good wines and then I really loved educating people about wine,” Kaufman said.
The backstory
Kaufman’s passion for wine grew while he was a store manager at a Kroger in Southlake, where he sold a large variety of wines.
“That really gets you involved and educated about wine because wine is one of those things where the more you learn about it, the more you enjoy it,” Kaufman said, adding that the role taught him how to run a business.
Kaufman opened Wine Fusion in 2015, just in time for the Grapefest festival in downtown Grapevine. Wine Fusion participated in the event and offered five wines straight from the barrels.
“We actually weren’t even finished with build out,” Kaufman said. “We’d only been [at the location] for two weeks.”
Kaufman had to shut down Wine Fusion during the COVID-19 pandemic because he only had a wine tasting room permit at the time. This led to Wine Fusion adding a full kitchen in 2020 while the business was shut down for six months.
“I thought if we can change our permit to a restaurant with a mixed-beverage use, that will allow us to reopen and also expand the variety of drinks and food that we offer," Kaufman said.
What else?
Wine Fusion can host private events for wedding receptions, corporate events and holiday parties, Kaufman said.
In addition, the restaurant and winery does charity work, including co-hosting the Mrs. Roper Pub Crawl with Tom and Susan Durant Foundation, which raised over $10,000 for local charities earlier this year, Kaufman said.
He added Wine Fusion also provided bar service for the Great Taste of Grapevine, hosted Winos & Dinos with Grapevine’s Park and Recreation department and donated auction items to raise money for local nonprofits.
- 603 S. Main St., Ste. 304 Grapevine
- www.winefusionwinery.com
