Maryland Wineries

There was a notable absence at this year's Maryland Wine Festival at the Carroll County Farm Museum: Montbray Wine Cellars of Westminster and its founder, Dr. G. Hamilton Mowbray, weren't present. After several years of trying to sell his winery to a white knight, the grand old man of Maryland's struggling wine industry did not renew his state license this year.Dr. Mowbray, a former Johns Hopkins University psychologist who began the winery in 1966, did not press any grapes last year. This year, another winemaker rented his land to produce grapes.

There was a notable absence at this year's Maryland Wine Festival at the Carroll County Farm Museum: Montbray Wine Cellars of Westminster and its founder, Dr. G. Hamilton Mowbray, weren't present.After several years of trying to sell his winery to a white knight, the grand old man of Maryland's struggling wine industry did not renew his state license this year.Dr. Mowbray, a former Johns Hopkins University psychologist who began the winery in 1966, did not press any grapes last year. This year, another winemaker rented his Westminster land to produce grapes.

Almost all Maryland wineries will retain the ability to sell directly to retailers and restaurants under a compromise reached with liquor wholesalers, averting what winemakers feared could have been a death knell for their fledgling industry. Under the new proposal, which has the support of leaders in the General Assembly and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., wineries that produce less than 27,500 gallons annually will be eligible for a limited wholesaler's license. That would enable them to avoid contracting with a third-party wholesaler, which winemakers said is cost prohibitive for small operations.

In an unexpected about-face, Carroll County Commissioner Donald I. Dell has agreed to let the county continue sponsoring the lucrative Maryland Wine Festival, which attracts nearly 25,000 people to Westminster each September. Dell, who for several years said he favored ending county sponsorship of the event, cast the deciding vote when the commissioners extended Carroll's contract with the Association of Maryland Wineries, made up of 10 wineries. The contract allows the festival to take place at Carroll County Farm Museum for the next two years.

Baltimore County will build a $9 million agriculture center in Hunt Valley that will offer office and meeting space as well as classrooms, greenhouses and demonstration fields for groups now spread throughout the area. Officials said the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture, located on a 149-acre property just west of Interstate 83 on Shawan Road, will extend the county's commitment to farming. The county purchased the land from the Tillman family, which had operated a horse farm and boarding business there.

State's wineries get deadline extension The state comptroller's office will extend the time for Maryland wineries to begin distributing their products through a wholesaler from March 31 to June 1, easing a deadline one vintner had described as "draconian." Michael Golden, a spokesman for Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, said the extension would be issued today. Last week, the comptroller ruled that the state's 22 wineries, which for decades have had the right under state law to deal directly with restaurants and retailers, could no longer bypass wholesalers.

AUTHOR Kevin Atticks will appear at Cygnus Wine Cellars of Manchester, where owner/winemaker Ray Brasfield will release three new wines at a free tasting from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday."

The 19th annual Maryland Wine Festival at the Carroll County Farm Museum will feature the best wines that the 11 Maryland wineries have to offer, along with on-stage entertainment by local musicians, handmade crafts and a selection of food for all palates. The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22. Co-sponsors include the Association of Maryland Wineries, Maryland Grape Growers Association and American Wine Society. Admission is $15 for adults age 21 and older with ID and includes a logo-engraved wine glass, 10 1-ounce samples of Maryland wines, attendance at the wine education seminars, entertainment, farmhouse and building tours, and period artisan exhibits and demonstrations.

John and Cindy Stevenson had the perfect set-up Saturday at the Maryland Wine Festival: topped-off glasses of vino, a cadre of friends and family, blankets and chairs spread out under a shade tree, crusty bread, caprese salad and two kinds of cheese. The Ellicott City wine connoisseurs were among thousands who attended the 29th annual event on the sprawling grounds of Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster. The two-day event continues Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The Stevensons said Napa Valley has nothing on Maryland's homegrown wines.

The summer of 2002 caused widespread casualties across Maryland farmlands. The hot, dry weather parched cornfields, desiccated apple orchards and caused severe crop damage throughout the Eastern United States -- but it did grow a very good grape. "In 2002 it didn't rain, it was hot and dry over the summer, and we knew at the end of that vintage that we were going to make a good wine," said Rob Deford, the owner of Boordy Vineyards. Deford's premonition was validated recently with the announcement of the Governor's Cup winners at the Maryland Wine Festival, where Boordy received two gold medals for its 2002 Barrel Select Chardonnay and 2002 Vidal.