Windridge Vineyards

 

Windridge Vineyards. 

November 7, 2021.  The Manifesto for this Blog states that our travels are “mostly” in Virginia.  However, after reading an article in a recent Washington Post about wineries close to Washington, DC, Kim and I ventured across the river to Darnestown, Maryland, to visit Windridge Vineyards on a crisp Sunday morning.

First, a note about Maryland wineries. 

Although Maryland and Virginia share much in their historical development, they appear to have diverged in the 1980’s.  Virginia  took a path resulting in a more robust wine industry now than Maryland.  I believe that Maryland wine traces its start back to the 1640’s and followed a similar path as Virginia. In 1979, Maryland had seven operating wineries while Virginia, a state around four times larger, famously had only six wineries.  But in 1979-80, Virginia enacted its farm winery legislation allowing wine sales at the source (see, Bureaucracy page).  It was not until twenty years later that Maryland passed legislation to allow state wineries to sell wine by the glass at the winery.  Maryland House Bill 414.    

In 1984, the Maryland Wineries Association formed as a not-for-profit trade association to support Maryland wineries.  (The similar Virginia Wineries Association formed in 1983).  There are over 80 wineries in Maryland and around 1,000 acres under vine today, according to the Association website.  https://marylandwine.com/about-maryland-wine/ accessed November 8, 2021.  Maryland has three AVAs.  So far as I can tell, however, the Maryland state government is not as active as Virginia in promoting the wine industry as a government policy.  The Virginia Department of Agriculture has branches like the Virginia Wine Marketing Office or the quasi-governmental Virginia Winery Distribution Company.  I believe that the Maryland governor has a wine advisory council that awards a sizeable grant from the Maryland Wine and Grape Promotion Fund (Agricultural Article, § 2- 1102) to promote the production and consumption of Maryland wine and increase growth of commercial wine grapes in the state. (Virginia also has a wine promotion fund.)   But the role of the council for continuing advocacy is not clear to me.  For example, driving to Windridge Vineyards, we saw no grape/winery direction signs such as are distributed by the Commonwealth free to Virginia wineries.  When I asked for a map of Maryland wineries such as is produced by the Virginia Wine Marketing Office as a free handout, I was told that there was no such thing.  (In fact, the servers thought that might be a good idea.)  There is no free wine magazine.

 

Roger doing field work at Windridge Vineyards

Enough of this condensed civics lesson; let’s get to the winery! 

Windridge Vineyards is owned by Robert Butz, whose family has farmed the area since 1954, planted grape vines in 2011, supplied grapes to other wineries for years and finally opened the winery to the public in 2018.  The property features a modern tasting room that opened in 2020, right as COIVD was impacting life.  The tasting room looks out over rolling hills of vines and Sugarloaf Mountain on the horizon to the North.  There is a large amount of outside seating at picnic tables and Adirondack chairs as well as fire-pit seating areas.  Reservations are encouraged and you will be escorted to your seating area.  Food trucks generally show-up on the weekends, however, none appeared on the Sunday of our visit.  Windridge has a fair selection of cold finger food, spreads and breads.  Outside food is allowed.  We found the staff to be enthusiastic and helpful. 

All of the red wine is grown and processed on site; white wines mix Maryland juice and juice from the Finger Lakes and even the West Coast.  Pre-arranged flights of three reds or three whites are available at $18.00 per flight.  Unlike some wineries, these flights are generous half-glass pours of three wines in tumbler glasses.

I tried the Red Flight:  

Chambourcin 2019.  This is fruit-forward wine with low tannin, some sweetness tied to the fruit.

Encampment 2020. This is a red blend with some tannin a little out of balance with the fruit.

Seneca 2018.  This is more full-bodied wine, with some cherry and leather.  I found the tannin better balanced. 

Kim sampled:

2020 Portrayal.  This was said to be the closest the winery had to a Chardonnay.  Portrayal is a Chardonel wine with a touch of sweetness.

Albarino 2020.  Kim gave this Albarino an A-, which is high marks. She found it not as full-bodied as a full Chardonnay and dryer than the Portrayal. She bought a bottle.