The Newsletter of the Maryland Wineries      May 2012     View it online

Wine in the Woods

May 19-20 in Columbia

The 20th anniversary of Wine in the Woods is quickly approaching! 33 wineries are attending this year, and we think this year will be better than ever. You can buy tickets in advance by visiting one of the five ticket counters, or buy the day of. Here are some new features:

•WINE IN THE WOODS IS GREEN! At each entrance to the festival, pick up a "Green Wine Explorer Pass." Take it around the festival with you, and when you see the GREEN sign at each of the ten winery tents, find the trivia question, and mark down the answer on your pass. At the end of the festival, turn in your pass and enter to win free tickets to other Maryland wine festivals!

•A NEW, IMPROVED LAYOUT: Wineries will be sharing large tents, and will be in some new locations this year. More room to enjoy the woods while sipping MD wine. Be sure to visit all ten winery tents. You can see the layout, here!

•WINE CHECK: Leave your purchased wine with the winery and we'll transport it to the Wine Check. Pick it up on your way out!

•SATURDAY EVENING CONCERT: This year, your SATURDAY wine festival ticket price includes lawn admission to that evening's Route 29 Revue concert, featuring Lucinda Williams & Drive-By Truckers at Merriweather Post Pavillion!

Great Grapes • Hunt Valley: Now a FOOD and WINE event! June 2 & 3

Great Grapes • Hunt Valley is now a Food and Wine event! Still at the beautiful Oregon Ridge Park, the festival is going to be bigger and better this year! There's a VIP ticket option, and various culinary pavilions throughout the event, devoted to cheese, grilling, seafood, spice, olive oil and wine aroma. Free shuttle from the Hunt Valley light rail stop!

New Passports are here!

These new Maryland Wine Passports include newly opened wineries and are better than ever -- and just $2! Click here to learn more about our passport program. Pick up a passport at a local winery or at our Eat•Drink•Go LOCAL North Beach event!

Maryland Wine Week coming in June!

For the second year in a row, Maryland Wineries Association is pairing up with quality restaurants, wine bars and wine shops to celebrate local wine and produce. From June 8 -17, 2012, restaurants and wine shops will host a range of events themed around Maryland wine, including wine maker dinners, tastings, wine flights, and more! Visit www.marylandwineweek.com, follow us on Twitter @MDwineweek or find us on Facebook to keep up with all the events! Interested sponsors, restaurants and wine shops can contact Regina@MarylandWine.com

Eat•Drink•Go LOCAL North Beach
Saturday, June 16

We are looking forward to our second annual Eat•Drink•Go LOCAL event in North Beach, Calvert County. This June 16 event feels like a farmers' market, but has wine tasting, food sampling (with an upgraded ticket), live music and more! See all the details at www.eatdrinkgolocal.com.

Free Admission to Our Events? Volunteer!

Become a volunteer! We are dependent on volunteers to make our events and festivals a success. Volunteers help out in a variety of ways… pouring wine and chatting with customers, selling tickets, distributing glasses and always have a lot of fun. All volunteers receive free admission -- including glasses and tastings -- on the day they volunteer and are welcome to come early or stay after their shift. If you're interested in becoming a volunteer, you can sign up here!

A large bunch of Nebbiolo grapes.

Nebbiolo - an early ripener

Nebbiolo grapes are best known as the dominant grape in the famous wines from Piedmont, Italy.  Despite this distinction for producing high quality wine, however, Nebbiolo has only been tried on a limited basis in the United States.

Dave Collins of Big Cork Vineyards is one of the few growers of Nebbiolo grapes on the Eastern Shore. After successful growing and winemaking from Nebbiolo in Virginia, he undertook the crop again in Maryland. He notes, “Not a lot of people risk growing the grape because it has a reputation for being difficult.”

The grapes may present challenges to growers due to their late ripening. They are one of the first varieties to bud and the last to ripen. Collins acknowledges that there are a few idiosyncrasies that must be understood before quality wine can be made from Nebbiolo, but most of them simply require patience.

Nebbiolo grapes are naturally high in acid, so they require sufficient time in the vineyards with warmth and sun to produce sugars that can balance the acidity.

Thanks to our Decanter sponsors!

Decanter was an incredible event. We moved it indoors to the Grandstand due to the dreadful weather forecast -- and we had a blast!

Visit Victoria Gastro Pub, sponsor of the Maryland Wine Press Magazine!

Curious about Maryland's expansive horse industry? The Equiery Magazine is a great place to learn. Check out their website and sign up for their monthly e-newsletter to learn more about guided trail rides and taking horse riding lessons!

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