Maryland Wine Synopsis

Maryland is definitely one of those interesting states when it comes to the American wine industry. This is because it has the odd dichotomy of both trying to improve and grow its wine industry while also having some odd wine shipping laws (it’s a felony to get wine shipped to you). And yet even with these laws more wineries are popping up every year and the state is seeing a steady increase in winery revenue. So, clearly something is working for them in Maryland and that something has a surprisingly long and interesting history.

To start I think it would be worthwhile to take a brief look at the history of the states wines industry and how, like the rest of the East Coast, its wine making stretches back to the colonial days. More specifically in 1648 when the first recorded instance of winemaking in Maryland occurred. This wine was made by one Tenis Palee using local native grape varietals. A few years after this, in 1662, we get the next big step in Maryland wines with the planting of the first European grape vines in Maryland. These were planted by the governor of the time, Charles Calvert, along the bank of the St. Mary’s River and totaled about 200 acres. Unfortunately though for the governor these vines failed due to inexperience, a cold winter and an extremely hot summer.

Others followed suit, and came to similar fates, up until 1756 when the first real success was made in Prince George’s County. Here Benjamin Tasker jr. produced a wine from hybrid grapes opening the doors for Maryland’s wine future. After this small success others experimented with varying natural hybrids, though it was still a struggle for these early vintners. Then in the early 1800s a man by the name of john Adler produced the Catawba hybrid, well regarded to this day, and wrote the first book in America about winemaking. All this helped to build the way for Philip Wagner who planted grapes at his country home in the 1930s that flourished and produced quality wines he sold along the East Coast. This led soon after to him creating the first bonded winery in Maryland in 1945, Boordy Vineyards.

Since then the Maryland wine industry has continued to grow, especially in the last 10 years, to the 40 vineyards and wineries we see today. This growth has been fueled by the impressive variety of climates and varieties of grapes which can be grown in the state. The state lies across the subtropical and continental climate zones with the mountains providing a transition zone between the two. This enables the state to produce over 50 of the major varietals of wine grapes; these include Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Merlot, Chardonnay, Vidal and many others. They also produce a large number other various grapes such as Concord, Muscats and Cynthiana/Norton.

With such an amazing diversity of grapes it’s easy to see why Maryland has seen so much praise in recent years. For instance, Black Ankle Vineyards won the gold in the 2008 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition with their 2006 Crumbling Rock. They also won a Bronze for their 2007 Viognier at the same competition. You also have Basignani Winery winning a Silver medal at the 2008 L.A. County Fair with their 2005 Lorenzino Reserve. Also in the 2006 Tasters Guild International Competition, Elk Run Vineyards took a gold for their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. And finally, Elk Run also took home a silver at the 2007 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition with their 2005 Chardonnay.

Between the History and the immense variety of quality wines, it’s really no surprise that the Maryland wine industry has grown so much in recent years. Just as much of the East Coast this state has seen colonial attempts at wine making and grown up from those humble beginnings to make a real impact on the wine landscape of the US. Thanks to International accolades and a growing local interest in wineries, I’m sure that Maryland has a bright future ahead of itself with wine making. And that is a future I watch in anticipation, and of course thirst (I need some more Black Ankle Viognier).

To find out more go to: Marylandwine.com