Maryland Wine: A Full-Bodied History

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright © 2012 by Regina Mc Carthy

All rights reserved

First published 2012

e-book edition 2012

ISBN 978.1.61423.472.2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McCarthy, Regina.

Maryland wine : a full-bodied history / Regina McCarthy.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

print ISBN 978-1-60949-247-2

1. Wine and wine making--Maryland. 2. Wine industry--Maryland. I. Title.

TP557.M387 2012

663’.209752--dc23

                                                            2012002407

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Dedicated to my Jason, who often reminded me, The story is there. It is just waiting to be written.

And to Al Copp and Les Hubbard––my underpaid consultants, counselors, agents, editors and constant cheerleaders. Thank you for believing in me.

Contents

Foreword, by Kevin Atticks

Preface

Acknowledgements

1. The First Mention of Wine and Grapes in Maryland

2. Prohibition and the New Deal Winery

3. On the Shoulders of Giants

4. The First Growth

5. The Industry Organizes

6. The Second Growth

7. The Legislative Efforts of the Maryland Wine Industry

8. The Future of the Industry

A Listing of Maryland Wineries

Glossary

Works Cited

About the Author

Foreword

Unless you’re from Maryland, it may be hard to believe that wine grows deep in the Old Line State. In fact, even Marylanders might be surprised that our local wine’s history began in colonial times, its limits were pushed—and pushed right back—during Prohibition and our state is home to the author of the first book on winemaking in America, Philip Wagner.

Maryland’s wine history struck me when I was touring vineyards in Sonoma County. A staffer in Kenwood Vineyard’s tasting room—after hearing I was a Marylander—asked if I had heard of Boordy Vineyards. He explained that Kenwood sourced some of its vines from Boordy and used Philip Wagner’s American Wines and How to Make Them as a guide early in the winery’s development.

Upon my return to Maryland from the Sonoma trip, I launched an effort to visit all of Maryland’s wineries—all ten. The personalities of the proprietors and their efforts to produce world-class wines convinced me to write a travel guide to the state’s wine industry. But my research didn’t even scratch the surface of Maryland’s wine and grape history.

What you will find in this book is a detailed account of the early vineyard trials, the politics of the vine through Prohibition and into recent times and incredibly in-depth descriptions of the major personalities in our industry’s history.

Regina Mc Carthy spent many hours driving around our region collecting documents that don’t exist online, books that are long out of print and stories from individuals whose involvement in our industry are not known to recent entrants. She has gathered and cultivated stories by reuniting old friends and business partners and learned much from libraries and publication archives.

In addition to the formal documentation, Mc Carthy profiles the personalities of those who struggled to build a credible industry. Not everyone got along, but just about everyone worked together—setting aside deep philosophical differences—at critical moments to chart a positive course to further the industry.

The book traces the industry’s pre-Prohibition existence and Marylanders’ roles in Prohibition (and the sometimes antagonistic arguments against it), leading up to the creation of Maryland’s first commercial winery, Boordy Vineyards, in 1945.

After Boordy’s founding, Mc Carthy follows as the Aellens begin the build-out of what would become the Frederick Wine Trail with Linganore Winecellars at Berrywine Plantations. She examines the many wineries that would come and go before sturdy industry growth began in the mid-1980s through the early years of the next century.

Mc Carthy also highlights the major moments of the last ten years, including a conversation between grower Dick Penna and Senator Don Munson from Washington County that led to the formation of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Maryland Wine and Grape Growing, the Maryland Winery Modernization Act and, most recently, the passage of direct-to-consumer shipping.

The only downfall of Maryland Wine: A Full-Bodied History is that it is, by nature of it being a book—with a historical perspective, at that—unable to predict or report the lively future we look forward to experiencing with Maryland wine and locally grown grapes.

I hope readers appreciate Maryland’s long history of wine growing while enjoying the latest vintage of the Free State’s finest wines.

Kevin Atticks, DCD

Executive Director, Maryland Wineries Association

Preface

Write a book about the history of Maryland wine? I asked. Sure, I’ll do it. Little did I know that in embarking on the journey of researching this project, I would learn about Maryland’s own colonial vineyards, pre-Prohibition winemaking attempts, a New Deal winery" and over fifty brave souls who make up the state grape and wine industry. I didn’t realize I would meet the best friends, children and grandchildren of Maryland wine’s founding fathers and be privy to stories told for decades but mostly unheard by the modern industry and larger Maryland wine community.

The history of the Maryland wine industry is deep, especially for what seems to be such a new industry. In the short time I have been working on this project, seven new wineries have opened in the state, and the development of new ventures shows no sign of slowing.

The stories you will read in this book start chronologically and conclude regionally. These stories are well known among some members of the industry but brand-new to most. Thankfully, the wine industry is one in which secrets are shared—whether about pruning vines, crushing grapes or selling wine—and I was greeted with open arms and many, many stories to include in this compilation.

In each of my interviews and conversations, one thing was consistent. These people—the new and the old—were and are venturing into brand-new territory. Each is doing something new or different and is carving a place for him- or herself. They are truly building an industry—building a market, building a reputation, building on the foundation laid by the forefathers, the original vintage of Maryland wine.

A look at Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards. Courtesy of Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, photographer Richard Cress.

In the year 2000, Maryland was home to only eleven wineries. Since then, an average of three to five wineries have opened each year. Today, wineries are planting twenty to sixty acres at a time, and experienced winemakers are looking toward Maryland from other parts of the country to explore this emerging region.

The quality of regional wine is doubling as fast as the numbers of acres being planted. More and more local wines win awards in international and national competitions and are gaining popularity in mainstream wine publications.

Part of the industry’s success comes from the support of an active membership organization, called the Maryland Wineries Association (formerly the Association of Maryland Wineries). This nonprofit trade association and its board, made up of an owner from each winery in the state, set the tone and the pace for industry growth and development. The Maryland Wineries Association’s sister organization is the Maryland Grape Growers Association, or MGGA. MGGA is the organization in which grape growers—some commercial and some hobby—gather and discuss challenges and opportunities and to commiserate about life in the vineyard.

Maryland is home to major wine festivals, each bringing in twenty-five to thirty-five thousand wine drinkers a year, and its wineries are a vibrant part of Maryland’s tourism, greeting visitors from in and out of state.

Most important are the characters of the industry—the grape growers, winemakers, winery owners, their staff and families and industry advocates. Each of these unique personalities makes up this diverse industry and should be celebrated.

Acknowledgements

This book would not have been completed without the shared knowledge, memories and efforts of:

Albert Copp and Laurie Schwartz

Leslie and Jean Hubbard

Rob and Julie Deford

Bill and Anne Kirby

Hudson Cattell

Linda McKenna

John McGrew

Kevin Atticks

Bob Lyon

Helle DiSimone

Claire Mowbray Golding and the Mowbray family

Lucie Morton

Jack and Lucille Aellen

Anthony Aellen

Eric Aellen

Lucia Simmons

Patrick Roddy

Karen Fedor

Bert and Lynne Basignani

Mike and Rose Fiore

Carol and Fred Wilson

Lois and Bill Loew

Charlie Daneri and Emily Williams

Warren Rich

Erik Bandzak

Ed Boyce and Sarah O’Herron

Tom Shelton

Mark and Kim Cascia

Al and Jennifer Cassinelli

Voytek and Alicja Fizyta

Kathryn Danko-Lord and Jack Lord

Tim and Sheryl Lewis

Ray Brasfield and Joyce Hongsermeier

Paul Roberts and Nadine Grabania

John Wilkerson and Denise McCloskey

the Tamminga family

Patty Power and Rob Miller

Harry Hepbron and Janel Griffith

Chris Kent

Chris Lang

Tien-Seng and Tara Chiu

the Cleary family

Diane Hale

Matt Cimino

Kevin and Teresa Mooney

Mary Beth and Dick Seibert

the Layton family

Ashby and Carrie Everhart

Peter and Mary Ianniello

Marzanna and Andrzej Wilk

Jan Luigard and Maura Cahill

the Southern Maryland Wine Growers Cooperative

John Behun and Mark Flemming

Joe and Jo-Ann Romano

Roy and Linda Albin

Mike and Barb Scarborough

Greg and Karen Lambrecht

Maggie O’Brien, Jim Grube and Tucker Grube-O’Brien

Ken, Ann and Melissa Korando

Mark Emon and the St. Michaels Winery team

the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard family

Morris and Janet Zwick

Doug and Maureen Heimbuch

Don and Judy Tilmon

Jennie Schmidt

Jack and Emily Johnston

Morgan Walters

the Grape Growers of Maryland

The following people deserve recognition for their support and guidance:

Jason Mc Carthy

Cathy and Ed Reilly

Rachel, Joe, Gina and Dominic Postorino

Richard, Renee, Ella and Colin Reilly

Rebecca, Steven, Carter and Reilly Malin

Mary, Tim, Siobhán and Sharon Mc Carthy and Sarah Kelly

Catherine Lang

Katie Logue

Caitlin Regan

Colleen Regan

Kara Regan

Danielle Allen

Maggie Frey

Jessica Oursler

Jade Ostner

Ashley Estill

Chapter 1

The First Mention of Wine and Grapes in Maryland

As Europeans settled in the Americas, there was a very clear and deliberate movement to plant grapes and make wine up and down the East Coast. The first attempts were made with either French varieties transported from Europe or from native wild grapes found in this new land. The very first mention of winemaking and grape growing in the United States was in the 1560s by the French Huguenots, quickly followed by the Jamestown settlers in the very early 1600s.

The first mention of winemaking in Maryland dates back to 1648, to a Frenchman named Tenis Palee. Not much is known about Palee except that he was from New Albion Colony, an English colony that stretched from New Jersey down through Pennsylvania to Maryland. He was said to have made eight different types of wines from four different grapes, including