The 2019 WineAmerica Wines of America Reception

After a week of meetings and lobbying, WineAmerica held its annual Wines of America Reception in coordination with the Congressional Wine Caucus; an event that features a wide selection of wines from across the United States. This year the states represented crossed the map from Georgia to Vermont, Texas to Michigan, and Arizona to Washington.  The wine grapes continued to expand across regions as there was Gruner Veltliner from Pennsylvania (Galen Glen Vineyard & Mazza Vineyards) and Michigan (St. Julian Winery); Albarino from Virginia (Ingleside Vineyards) and Washington (Maryhill Winery); Blaufrankish-Lemberger from New York (Fox Run Vineyards), Indiana (Huber Orchard & Winery), and Colorado (Carlson Vineyards); Viognier from Idaho (Cinder) and Texas (Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard & Becker Vineyards).  Cinsault is now grown in Texas-(William Chris Vineyards) and three Russian grape varieties are found in Maryland's Big Cork Vineyards Russian Kiss. This an off-dry wine we keep well stocked in the cellar.

Other notable wines from the other 46 were Vermont's La Garagista Damejeanne Marquette, Big Cork Vineyards BCV Reserve Petit Verdot, the sparkling wines from the Illinois Sparkling Co., the Chardonnay Ice Wine from Ohio's Vermilion Valley Vineyards, the Pinot Noir Rose from Michigan's Chateau Grand Traverse, and the Arche Vineyard & Winery Syrah from Texas.

There are also a few wines I'd like to highlight from Oregon and California. The Brooks Winery Amycas is a delicious blend of Reisling, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer. That wine needs to come East.  And Sonoma's Saini Vineyards used an interesting blend in their Valentina Marie Rose - Grenache, Carignane, and Sangiovese. Dry and flavorful.  Saini also provided a contrast in vineyard sites pouring Old Vine Zinfandel from the Apple Block and Olive Block; the later is deeper and bigger whereas the Apple Block is earthier.  Cheers.

2017 Maryland Wine Governors Cup Award Ceremony

"Agriculture is such an important part of our history, our heritage, and our economy," said Governor Hogan. "That is why it is in the best interest of our state to keep our farms growing and thriving, and that includes our vineyards and our rapidly growing wine industry. Our wine producers are doing so much for Maryland, and the Governor’s Cup competition brings together the best of the best among Maryland-produced wines." -- Maryland Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr.

The judging for the 29th Annual Maryland Governor’s Cup Competition took place August 13 where over 30 regional wine experts tasted over 150 different wines across the multiple styles of sparkling, whites, rosés, reds, fruit, and cider. This past Monday, December 11th the winners were presented their awards by Maryland's First Lady Yumi Hogan at Old Maryland Grill in College Park. This new restaurant focuses on Maryland sourced food and complements meals with a full range of Maryland craft beverages. In fact, Proprietor Mike Franklin also owns the long running Franklin’s Brewery not far away in Hyattsville and visited over 50 Maryland wineries to round out the cellar. These include many of the competition winners which noted Maryland wine expert and Lead Judge Al Spoler commented that this year's entry's were the best across the board. Based on the reception following the awards ceremony, I concur completely.

Newcomer Cool Ridge Vineyard was the clear and unsuspecting champion of the competition where it was awarded two Best of Class medals for their Cool White 2016 ($21) and Cool Red 2015 ($32), with the later earning the Governor’s Cup Best in Show. Not bad for first time entrants. The red blend consists of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot and 15% Petit Verdot and is delicious. Simply delicious. Owner Gerhard Glocker was quite gracious and was just as proud of his Gold medal single varietal 2015 Cabernet Franc ($27). The winery and vineyard is located in Washington County near Hagerstown and there's no wonder that Old Westminster Winery sources their fruit for their Cool Ridge Vineyard, Limestone ($32) - a blend of 70% Grüner Veltliner and 30% Viognier.

 "The Jack Aellen Cup is a recent addition to the competition and specifically highlights fruit wine, cider and mead. The cup is named after Linganore Winecellars founder, Jack Aellen, who pioneered wines from fruit and honey in Maryland" . This year the winner was Great Shoals Winery Hard Plum 2016 ($16). Made from Japanese Shiro plums grown in Carroll County, the wine is made in a cider style - light bodied but plenty of flavor. Legally, its a wine since cider can only be made from apples or pears, but for all intents this is one fabulous cider. Move over Spencerville Red.

The remaining Best of Class wines were equally impressive with the Big Cork Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2015 ($46). Tasty young, the wine will age nicely as the tannins mingle with the dark fruit. The Willow Oaks Craft Cider and Wine Gloaming NV (500ml $25) starts funky and tannic then transitions to sweet tartness from organic black currants; another newcomer that impresses. Black Ankle Vineyards Terra Sol 2016 ($30) is a late harvest Grüner Veltliner and a successful experiment as it is very clean with plenty of acids to balance the sugar. Finally, I was fascinated with the Boordy Vineyards Pinot Gris 2016 ($16). The wine is flavorful and weighty - both, according to Dr. Joe Fiola, the result of vineyard selection and not wine-making techniques (no lees or malo and fermented in stainless steel). Cheers to Maryland wine.

Best in Show
Governor’s Cup Winner: Cool Ridge Vineyard • Cool Red 2015 ($32) (Washington Co.)
Jack Aellen Cup Winner: Great Shoals Winery • Hard Plum 2016 ($16) (Montgomery Co.)

Best in Class
Best Sparkling: Turkey Point Vineyard • Elk Neck Bubbly 2016 (Cecil Co.)
Best White: Boordy Vineyards • Pinot Gris 2016 ($16) (Baltimore Co.)
Best White Blend: Cool Ridge Vineyard • Cool White 2016 ($21) (Washington Co.)
Best Rosé: Crow Vineyard • Barbera Rosé 2016 ($16) (Kent Co.)
Best Red: Big Cork Vineyards • Cabernet Franc 2015 ($42) (Washington Co.)
Best Red Blend: Cool Ridge Vineyard • Cool Red 2015 ($32) (Washington Co.)
Best Sweet: Dove Valley Winery • Mr. Bentley’s Choice 2014 (Cecil Co.)
Best Dessert: Black Ankle Vineyards • Terra Sol 2016 ($30) (Frederick Co.)
Best Cider: Willow Oaks Craft Cider and Wine • Gloaming NV (500ml $25) (Frederick Co.)
Best Fruit: Great Shoals Winery • Hard Plum 2016 ($16) (Montgomery Co.)

TasteCamp Maryland 2017 - The Distilleries

One of the many benefits of attending TasteCamp is that the focus extends beyond wine and always includes beer, cider, and spirits. TasteCamp Maryland was able to leverage the spontaneous and organic craft distillery eruption in the town of Frederick; today the area supports three craft distillers when two years ago, none existed. During the weekend we were able to sample spirits from these distilleries as well as from Lyon Distilling, located in Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The main spirits tasting occurred at McClintock Distilling, located in a gutted shell of a 100-year-old mechanic’s garage and owned-operated by college friends Tyler Hegamyer & Braeden Bumpers.  Their facility is ingenious, following the footsteps of the distillery's namesake McClintock Young - a renowned local inventor in the 1800’s who patented over 100 inventions.  The facility houses many of these inventions and patents, but none compare to the engineering feat in the closed-loop cooling system and water management. This process allows the distillery to reuse tons of water during the cooling process; we are talking about 50 gallons per minute recycled and reused. Their German-made 264-gallon copper still is also ingenious in that it allows the distillers to change the focus of each batch from say vodka to gin quite easily and with a little more ingenuity allows for a dry hopping process where the botanicals seep into a gin through the vapers and not the mash.

Nevertheless none of this matters if the spirits don't shine, and in this respect, the three McClintock craft spirits do shine.  The Forager Gin is infused with "botanicals inspired by native herbs found in the Appalachian Wilderness" and is refreshing in the sense that the juniper is muted. And there appears to be equivalent citrus character. The Maryland Heritage White Whiskey is based on a "historically derived rye heavy mash bill from pre-prohibition Western Maryland distilleries". The whiskey is then aged for 24 hours in oak which along with the rye provides just a hint of pepper and other spices. But the sweet and mellow corn and wheat provide the strongest influence leading to a very smooth spirit. Finally, the Epiphany Vodka is distilled from Northern Italian organic wheat and double distilled and triple filtered, a process that once again provides a clean and smooth product. Nicely done.

The same evening the two other Frederick City based distilleries poured: Dragon Distillery and Tenth Ward Distilling Company. The former was the area's first distillery when Navy veteran and businessman Mark Lambert decided it was time for a career change. Although the distillery is named after the Dungeons & Dragons game (they readily acknowledge their geekiness), the underlying influence is Mark's great-grand father "Bad" Bill Tutt.  This rebel was apparently a doctor, gambler, and moonshiner and their moonshine is based on an old family recipe. The distillery produces traditional spirits like the Joust Gin as well as many flavored spirits such as Fannie Tutt's Lemon Meringue ​Moonshine (named after Bill's wife) and the Medieval Mint Flavored Vodka. In general I hesitate sampling anything flavored but I thought the Medieval Mint Flavored Vodka was very tasty with the chocolate finish that complimented the mint. The gin was clean and not juniper heavy - as I prefer.

Monica Pearce and business partner & distiller Kyle Pfalzer opened the Tenth Ward Distillery in July 2016 and specialize in "offbeat spirits by experimenting with unconventional ingredients, recipes, and aging techniques".  The name “Tenth Ward” is a reference to the way Frederick City was divided during the late 19th century. They source locally with the grain and corn grown, malted, and\or smoked at the Rippon Lodge Farm in West Virginia. And the cider for their Applejack is sourced from McCutcheon’s, a 4th generation family owned apple manufacturing plant that has been in Frederick since 1938.  At McClintock, Pfalzer poured samples of four spirits: White Caraway Rye (80% malted rye & 20% malted barley mashed with caraway seed), Applejack (100% apple brandy aged in used bourbon barrels), Claude Counter Corn Whiskey (80% smoked corn & 20% malted barley), and the 120 proof Lindsay Stunkle Rye Whiskey (80% malted rye & 20% malted barley).  I was unsure about the Caraway Rye but dug the Applejack and Claude Counter. The apple-bourbon combo was very enticing and the smoked corn adds a peat character to the corn whiskey.  The Lindsay Stunkle was hot; next time I look forward to tasting with a little water to dampen down the alcohol.

As mentioned previously Ben Lyon, co-owner of  Lyon Distilling poured four rums at a tasting at Big Cork Vineyards. The distillery is located in the sailing village of St. Michael's and has been producing rum and whiskey since 2012.  Here we will focus on their rum where the molasses and sugar cane juice are sourced from Louisiana and fermented, distilled, and aged at Lyon. Moving from right to left we sampled the Sailors Reserve Rum, Bijoo Batch Rum, Curacao Orange Liqueur Rum, and their Coffee Rum. The first two were solid sipping neat, full of flavor and little burn.  I wasn't sure about the Curacao, but loved the Coffee. In fact went back for seconds and thirds. I need to schedule a visit this summer. Cheers.

History, Hiking, Wine, Cider, and Mead in Maryland's Antietam Highlands #Wine Trail

The Maryland Wine Association has clustered wineries into several wine trails with one, the Antietam Highlands Wine Trail, located not far from Washington DC -- just northwest of Frederick. The trail encompasses the South Mountain (2,140 feet high above the Potomac River), five national parks, 10 state parks, more than 30 museums, as well as the historic Antietam National Battlefield - sadly the bloodiest single day of battle in U.S. history. From Frederick head west on 340 towards Harpers Ferry to reach Big Cork Vineyards, Distillery Lane Ciderworks, as well as the Gathland State Park between the two. Stopping at the state park is highly recommended in order to hike parts of the Appalachian Trail and visit the War Correspondents Arch plus the George Alfred Townsend museum. Many may notice that the ruins and woods within the park were used in the Blair Witch Project.

The first stop was to  Distillery Lane Ciderworks, producers of several extremely unique hard ciders. This seven year old operation lies on a historic farm that was used by Union soldiers as a camp site before Antietam. The Miller family purchased the property in 2001 and planted an apple orchard with cider, bitter, and eating apples. On my visit there were six ciders in the tasting room, a combination of sparkling, still, and barrel aged. The tasting started with the Celebration and Rio sparkling ciders, the first a dry and flavorful and the second aged in used A. Smith Bowman Distillery rye whiskey barrels. I bonded with this cider, the rye subtle but adding texture and slight spice. The Jefferson is their flagship still cider, made from the Newtown Pippin and named after our third President who preferred the Newton - aka the Albemarle Pippin. This is a solid cider, flavorful, depth, tart, and dry. The Kingston Black is another 100% varietal but with a touch of sugar that is balanced with the apple's natural acidity.  The Scrumpy is very unique, an English cider that is cloudy, funky, and slightly effervescent. The tasting concluded with the Fireside, apple wine infused with spices. A very nice lineup. I left with the Rio and Scrumpy in bag.

Big Cork Vineyards is only a ten minute drive from Distillery Lane and its easy to site this impressive facility from the road. The winery opened several years ago after Randy Thompson hired Dave Collins first to scour a vineyard site and then lured him from Breaux Vineyards as the winemaker.  From previous tastings,  the wines - made from 100% estate fruit - have been delicious - although I have not experienced the breadth of their diverse portfolio.  This day the whites were all 2015 vintages starting with the Chardonnay ($24) -- slightly buttery, but allowing the characteristic fruit flavor to shine. The Viognier ($22) was also as expected with floral, stone fruit, and velvety characters. On the off-dry side, the Vidal Blanc ($16) came across drier with its bright acids and the Russian Kiss ($22), a blend of three Russian varieties and Muscat, was fantastic. Moving to the 2014 vintages of red wines, the Meritage ($28) was solid, but the highlights were the Cabernet Franc ($36) and Nebbiolo ($42) - a Breaux favorite as well. The later sucked the mouth dry and with the amble acidity should lay down for quite sometime. The CF was full bodied, full of dark black fruit, some velvety texture, and noticeable tannins. Another that should age nicely. Finally, at the Winter Wine Festival I sampled their 100% estate grown raspberry Black Cap Port ($46) and it is all raspberries - with the brandy fortification taking a back seat.

We stayed so long at Big Cork I was unable to visit Orchid Cellar Meadery & Winery, which is located about 10 minutes northeast. The winery is the source for the best mead in the state - particularly the Hunter ($24). Next trip, as well as Mazzaroth Vineyard. And come April another cider house joins the trail with the opening of Willow Oaks Craft Cider and Wine. As always theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App will guide you to these destinations.