Vineyards

AHOPLAND, Calif. -- When 10-year-old Barney Fetzer heard his family's winery was being sold and they could no longer use the Fetzer brand name, he was worried that he would no longer be a Fetzer.His father, Jim, the outgoing president, assured him and the rest of the Fetzer grandchildren that although their grandmother and 11 aunts and uncles were selling the successful family business, they would all still be Fetzers.Two weeks after the Fetzers culminated a three-year courtship with Louisville, Ky.-based Brown-Forman Corp.

August 13, 2011 Steven Wehner had overcome dyslexia, a stint in jail on drug charges and the loss of his repair shop on Martha's Vineyard. Living in the basement of his mother's Rodgers Forge home, he set his sights on his biggest challenge yet: Bringing an IndyCar race to downtown Baltimore. With the drop of the green flag in three weeks, Wehner's dream will roar to life. Glossy race cars are set to dart down newly paved roads alongside the Inner Harbor, bearing on their sleek frames the aspirations of city and state officials who are betting on the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix to draw tens of thousands of race fans, pump tens of millions of dollars into the local economy and burnish the image of the city.

THE 1991 HARVEST could be the one that puts Maryland wines on the map, says Mike Fiore, owner of Fiore Vineyards in Pylesville in northern Harford County."

This week, Maryland wine lovers will be able to get their favorite bottles delivered directly to their homes — so long as they're interested in buying from one of the 11 wineries that have applied for a shipping permit. Since the state made the applications available on June 10, just eight Maryland wineries have returned the forms, according to the office of the state comptroller. Three more from out of state have also applied. Maryland is home to 50 wineries, and there are about 6,500 across the country.

SAGAPONACK, N.Y. - Sagpond Vineyards, the biggest producer of wines from estate-grown grapes on the South Fork of Long Island, has opened its new multimillion-dollar winery.The winery, at 139 Sagg Road, a bit north of Route 27 in Sagaponack, occupies a saffron-colored stucco building that the owner, Christian Wolffer, describes as Tuscan in style.The winery has nearly 50 acres of vineyards.The opening coincided with the early stages of grape growing and the vacation season. Visits to wineries on the South and North Forks, which lead to perhaps 75 percent of all winery sales, increase from Memorial Day and peak in October at harvest.

Almost 100 chateaux near St. Emilion and hundreds more scattered about the Bordeaux region offer individual and group tours of vineyards, usually at no charge.These estates began opening their doors to the public only in the early 1980s as part of an effort to foster more recognition about area winemaking, boost the region's tourism and promote direct sales of products.Most chateaux are open for visits weekdays from June to September; some also provide tours on weekends. A few open for short hours in other seasons.

In last Sunday's Travel section, an incorrect phone number was given for Loew Vineyards in Mount Airy, Md. The correct number is 301-831-5464.The Sun regrets the error.Sitting on the veranda of Fiore Winery in Harford County, one could easily mistake it for a winery from a few decades ago, when Napa Valley was struggling to become a world center of fine wine production. A refreshing breeze wafts across the picturesque vineyards, and you can smell the sweet grapes just emerging on the vine.

The first course was served in a dish no bigger than a pot of lip gloss, accompanied by a full-bodied chardonnay. Although it was only a few hours' drive from home, I knew I was no longer in the super-size world of suburban drive-through cuisine. At Prince Michel Vineyards in Leon, Va., I had transported myself to a finer realm of living. The winery, founded in 1982 in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, features wine tours and tastings, a museum, overnight accommodations and the excellent Prince Michel Restaurant.

In the parched summer of '99, Rob Deford casts his gaze across his 16-acre vineyard. This is the driest year he can remember, he says, since his parents set him to pulling leaves off grapevines in 1965, when he was 14.He smiles."

"The Wines of Maryland Cup" was presented to Catoctin Vineyards for its 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon at the Maryland Wine Festival, at a festival sponsored by the Association of Maryland Wineries. This was the first year for the award, which the Maryland vineyards plan to make an annual event.The best blush wine award went to the Eye of the Oriole wine from Catoctin Vineyards. The best white hybrid award went to the 1990 Vidal blanc from Boordy Vineyards. The best non-grape wine award went to Barry Wine Peach from Liganore Wine Cellars.

Not so long ago, if you wanted to visit a vineyard near Baltimore for an afternoon of tastings and tours, your first and typically only stop was Boordy Vineyards, the oldest vineyard in the state, established in Hydes in 1945. Even in winter, it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, with plenty of wines to sample and buy, and experts to lead you through the grounds and winemaking operations. Now, though, it's easy to extend the experience, visiting another Maryland vineyard or two nearby.

The proposal to allow direct shipment of wine in Maryland might have to age for another year, after the Senate voted Wednesday to require the state's comptroller to study how 37 other states have implemented similar measures. "I think it will set us on a course for passage next year," said Sen. Jamie Raskin, after offering the study as an amendment to a related wine-sale bill. The study is supposed to push forward the contentious issue of lifting a Maryland ban on shipping wine to residences via the postal service - an increasingly popular method for small vineyards across the country to market and sell their product.

Nowhere in sight coming around the turn for home, Vineyard Haven, the youngest horse in the Grade I, $300,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, found space along the rail and charged for the wire under the urging of jockey Alan Garcia. Coming down the sloppy front straight, the 3-year-old passed Fleet Valid and then nosed ahead of Laurel Park-based Ravalo for a half-length victory. "Midway round that turn, I didn't think we had any horse left," said Vineyard Haven's assistant trainer, Rick Mettee, who was handling the Godolphin Racing-owned horse for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

The field for Saturday's $300,000, Grade I Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park is set, with nine horses vying in the six-furlong sprint. Vineyard Haven (8-5) emerged as the favorite. Godolphin Stable's 3-year-old placed second in his last start, the Grade I King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29, after being disqualified from first. Vineyard Haven won two Grade I races as a 2-year-old. Fleet Valid is the second choice at 9-2. The son of 1993 De Francis Dash winner Montbrook has won four straight races.

Surrounded by lush green vines laden with clusters of grapes ripening in a Harford County vineyard, officials and vintners announced the creation of the Piedmont Wine Trail as Maryland's fourth pathway to fine wines. The trail meanders through scenic areas of northern Baltimore and Harford counties and, if experience from the popularity of other trail ventures proves true, could bring thousands of visitors annually to the eight sites, officials said. The trail will allow vintners to show off their vineyards, offer tastes and give guests insight into the intricacies of winemaking.

Jeffrey Lewis Foreman, former owner of an Internet provider and computer consulting business who enjoyed collecting and sharing wines that he had gathered from the world's vineyards, died Aug. 21 of a brain tumor at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The longtime Hunt Valley resident was 61. Born in Baltimore, the son of a barber and a Social Security Administration analyst, Mr. Foreman was raised on Chippewa Drive in Pikesville. He was 16 when he graduated from Polytechnic Institute. He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting in 1970 from the University of Maryland, College Park.

"May is a perfect time to be in Tuscany -- a time when it's still not too hot for a contessa to spend some time next to the pool, gazing approvingly over the vineyards that surround her."

Antrim 1844 Country Inn in Taneytown will sponsor "A Celebration of California Wines" wine tasting and dinner Nov. 8. The event will feature an introduction to two vineyards, the French-inspired Domaine Chandon of Yountville, Calif., and Trefethen of Napa Valley.Executive chef Sharon Ashburn has put together a six-course gourmet menu to complement the wines. The guests of honor, Janet Trefethen of Trefethen Vineyards and Mike Jones of Domaine Chandon, will discuss their wine-making styles and share their experiences in the wine industry.

Barack Obama has been in office seven months, and he's off to Martha's Vineyard? Some 70 millions Americans voted for President Obama, and I bet 60 million of them condemned his predecessor for taking too much down time at his ranch in Texas. George W. Bush set a record for presidential vacationing; he was the laziest commander-in-chief ever. But here's the new man, supposedly with a wholly different work ethic and intellectual rigor, off to a similar start - and in the midst of a recession, with millions of Americans out of work and many millions more so stressed about money, they decided to either stay home or pass vacation up altogether.