I have always loved Maryland wine. I have many fond memories of going to their wine festival back in the 2000s and before, before the advent of children,,,LOL. Picnic blankets, Maryland crab cakes, cool refreshing whites, delicious local reds. Here are a few favorite MD wines! Here's a quick hit list!
Boordy Vineyards is one of the best regional wineries on the eastcoast, thanks to Robert DeFord and Phineas Deford, and would be a competitive winery in any well established wine region. Fantastic wines. I especially their new Albarino, an impressive! Love their reds too!
Old Westminster is the new star on the Maryland wine landscape. Drew Baker, Ashli Johnson, and Lisa Hinton are producing Pet Nats have been an eye-opening, and wine geeks just can't get enough of them! Their whites and reds are incredible too! A fabulous young team delivering great wine, and great promise!
Black Ankle has turned the heads of many of the nations wine writers in a big way. Ed Boyce & Sarah O'Herron make some lovely whites including Viognier and Albarino, but also make fabulous reds. Their Slate wine blend is already at cult status. One of the most head-turning wineries on the east coast. Fantastic!
Port of Leonardtown is a cooperative venture among a bunch of Maryland winegrowers. If they did anything right, they chose a fantastic young woman to be their winemaker, Lauren Zimmerman. Their Chambourcin is among my personal favorites, but almost everything they make is superb, including their out-of-this-world port! Go there asap!
Big Cork Vineyards is an amazing place. Dave Collins is the winemaker, and has achieved phenomenal accomplishments. He series of Italian reds is to die for, but my favorite is Russian Kiss, a blend of Viognier and three Soviet-era Russian grapes. Aromatic and surprising! Fantastic stuff!
Sugarloaf Mountain is making wonderful wines. I recently drank a 2011 Comus, a red blend, and it was spectacular! Could have gone another few years. Wonderful winery.
Crow Vineyards is one of my more recent finds. Their rose and their sparkling Vidal Blanc were absolutely impressive. You must try Crow Vineyards!
Been a fan of Bordeleau for some time. My favorite of theirs is the Chardonnay reserve, but they have many other lovely wines to try. Well worth the trip!
Love, love, love Harford Vineyard. I especially love their Vidal Blanc! A lovely. aromatic, tasty high quality white wine. Lots of other good stuff at Harford!
Thanksgiving Farm is among my favorite small producers in Maryland. It is a gem of a producer. They are on my own personal cult status list. The Franc Blanc was amazing, but they too have a number of other impressive wines on their list!
Dodon Vineyards is among my newest finds. Their Sauvignon Blanc 2011 was super super impressive. And they've gone on to make others. Try them!
Fiore Vineyards was one of the seminal wienries in Maryland wine history. They were a bridge between the old Philip Wagner, Ham Mowbray and today's current crop of stars. In the meantime, Mike Fiore made wonderful wines. But unwittingly, perhaps his greatest contribution might have been to become Maryland's first truly authentic distillery. Fantastic reserve grappa and a REAL Baltimore Rye.