01/07/2020
Paul Vigna
“Joe Fiola is the University of Maryland extension specialist for viticulture and small fruit, his office parked out in the hills near Frederick. He had come across several varieties of Eastern European grapes while holding a similar role at Rutgers and eventually started making a white blend out of them that he liked very much.
Convincing anyone to grow the grapes, well, that was another story. Finally, as he described it, he started “browbeating” Dave Collins, the co-owner and winemaker at Big Cork Vineyards, located a stone’s throw from one of Fiola’s experimental vineyards. “I just kept bringing him bottles of the wine I was making,” he says. “[Dave] finally broke down.” To continue reading, please click here.
