Maryland Wine Country

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🤓 Did You Know?

Maryland has one of the Mid-Atlantic's longest modern wine histories, with Boordy Vineyards established in 1945 by Philip Wagner — one of the first winemakers in America to experiment seriously with French-American hybrid grapes.

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About Maryland Wine Country

Maryland wine country is the Mid-Atlantic at its most historically rooted and geographically diverse. Ninety-three estate wineries scattered from the Appalachian foothills of Garrett County to the tidal flats of the Eastern Shore reflect a wine culture that has been developing since Philip Wagner planted the first French-American hybrid vines at Boordy Vineyards in 1945. Maryland didn't wait for Napa to show the way; it found its own.

The Catoctin Mountain and Frederick County wine trail is where Maryland wine reaches its highest concentration and its most polished expression. Wineries like Black Ankle Vineyards, which produces estate wines from limestone-rich Frederick County soils, and Linganore Wine Cellars, the state's largest producer, have established Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay as Maryland's benchmark varieties. The Catoctin AVA — shared with Virginia's Loudoun County — gives the region formal recognition as a distinct American wine producing area.

Carroll County to the north and the Chesapeake Bay Eastern Shore to the east round out Maryland's wine geography. Carroll County's limestone hills, 45 minutes from Baltimore, support a concentrated wine trail with 18+ producers. The Eastern Shore's maritime influence from the Chesapeake Bay creates a unique terroir for Vidal Blanc and Chambourcin, and the crab cake and oyster culture that defines Chesapeake food provides a perfect pairing framework for the region's wines.