Maryland

Wine region
Official name	State of Maryland
Type	U.S. StateAppellation[1]
Year established	1788
Years of wine industry	378[2]
Country	United States
Sub-regions	Catoctin AVA,Cumberland Valley AVA,Linganore AVA
Climate region	Humid subtropical/continental
Total area	9,707 square miles (6,212,480 acres)[3]
Size of planted vineyards	450 acres (180 ha)[1]
Grapes produced	Albariño,Arneis,Auxerrois blanc,Barbera,Blaufränkisch,Cabernet Franc,Cabernet Sauvignon,Carignan,Carménère,Chardonnay,Chenin blanc,Dolcetto,Gewürztraminer,Malbec,Malvasia,Marsanne,Merlot,Montepulciano,Mourvèdre,Müller-Thurgau,Muscat,Muscat of Alexandria,Muscat blanc,Nebbiolo,Nero d'Avola,Pais,Petit Manseng,Pinot Meunier,Petite Sirah,Petit Verdot,Pinot blanc,Pinot grigio,Pinot noir,Pinotage,Riesling,Rkatsiteli,Roussanne,Ruby Cabernet,Rubired,Sauvignon blanc,Sangiovese,Sémillon,Sultana,Symphony,Syrah,Tannat,Tempranillo,Tinta Barroca,Tinta Cão,Touriga Franca,Touriga Nacional,Trebbiano,Viognier,Zinfandel[4]
No. of wineries	Over 80[5]

Maryland wine iswine made in theU.S. state ofMaryland. The industry has grown rapidly since the firstwinery in Maryland, Boordy Vineyards, opened in 1945.^[6] It is estimated that the industry contributes $50 million annually to the Marylandeconomy.^[7]

The state's history of viticulture begins in 1648 with the earliest recorded instance ofwinemaking in Maryland.^[2] Fourteen years later, the firstEuropeangrapes planted inMaryland were deposited in 200 acres (80.9 ha) on the east bank ofSt. Marys River.^[8] It was not until the 1930s that Philip Wagner, a columnist with theBaltimore Sun, publishedAmerican Wines and How to Make Them. The book was later revised asGrapes Into Wine and became the definitive book on winemaking inAmerica.^[9][10]

The 1980s proved to be a definitive decade for the industry. In 1981, theMaryland Grape Growers Association was formed,^[11] followed by theMaryland Wineries Association in 1984.^[5] That same year, theMaryland Wine Festival was held for the first time and the Maryland Winery and Grape Growers Advisory Board was formed.^[2]

In 2000, theMaryland State Legislature passed Maryland House Bill 414, allowing state wineries to sell wine by the glass at the winery and to bring product onto retail licensed premises for promotional activities. A record crowd of more than 25,000 attended the Maryland Wine Festival and Maryland wineries sold a record 86,954 US gallons (329,157 L) of wine.^[12]

Throughout the years that followed, the industry saw many changes as well as growing success. The instigator of such success was the Maryland Wineries Association's first-ever major cooperative marketing campaign, "Ask For Maryland Wine."^[13]

Maryland has four distinct growing regions, allowing for a wide diversity of grape varieties that will thrive throughout the State.

A majority of the state's vineyards are planted in Central Maryland, from the foothills west ofFrederick, Maryland to the head of theChesapeake Bay.^[14] The state's oldest wineries are located in the Piedmont Plateau as well as the Frederick Wine Trail and Mason-Dixon Wine Trail. There are clusters of wineries aroundWestminster and north ofBaltimore.^[14]Cabernet Sauvignon,Merlot,Cabernet Franc,Chardonnay andPinot Gris are planted, which consists ofHarford,Baltimore,Carroll,Howard,Montgomery andFrederick Counties.

TheEastern Shore is known for its warm days and cool nights. The soil is sandy and well-drained, and the climate is moderated by the Chesapeake Bay. A wide variety ofgrapes are growing throughout the Upper Shore (Cecil,Kent and Queen Anne's Counties), Mid Shore (Talbot,Dorchester andCaroline Counties) and Lower Shore (Somerset,Worcester andWicomico Counties).

Southern Maryland gets hot, and stays hot night and day for most of the summer. This may not be good for some varieties, but manySouthern Italian and other Mediterranean varieties are found growing in the region.Barbera,Sangiovese,Montepulciano, Chardonnay,Vidal,Blaufrankisch,Symphony and other varieties are planted in the region, which consists ofAnne Arundel,Prince George's,Calvert,Charles andSt. Mary's Counties.

Western Maryland plays host to a number ofvineyards and two wineries. Grapes in this region must be more cold-hardy and able to withstand long winters and a short growing season. Varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Norton/Cynthiana,Chambourcin, Vidal andSeyval are found in the region. The region consists ofWashington,Allegany andGarrett Counties.

Phillip M. Wagner is still considered a very prominent figure for those in the amateur and commercial sides ofwine making.Wagner is the author ofGrapes into Wine and several other books having to do specifically with North American wine making.^[15] Including several revisions of his original book "American Wines and How to Make Them" originally published in 1933. He was also the founder of Maryland's own Boordy Vineyards where he experimented with various wine making techniques most notably hybridization of grapes.Wagner's literary career includes serving as the editor of theBaltimore Sun newspaper and writing a biography of fellow Sun editor,H.L. Mencken. He died December 29, 1996.^[16]

TheMaryland Wine Festival^[17] is awine festival that showcases Maryland wine on the third weekend of September annually. The festival was established in 1984 inUnion Mills, Maryland and has been held at theCarroll County Farm Museum inWestminster, Maryland since 1985. It is one of the oldest and largest wine festivals on theEast Coast, hosting over 25,000 people and featuring more than 200 wines for sampling each year.

A growing number of for-profit and non-profit organizations have been established since the 1980s to help promote Maryland Wine. Two of the more well known organizations are theMaryland Grape Growers Association and theMaryland Wineries Association. The number of vineyards and wineries in Maryland grow each year. As of 2019 there are over 80 registered vineyards and wineries in the state.

• American wine

• Maryland Wineries Association
• Maryland Grape Growers Association
• TTB AVA Map

• Maryland wine

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from April 2021