The final article in my three-part series about where to find breweries, wineries, and distilleries in Southern Maryland is wineries. There are eleven wineries in the tri-county (Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s) area. They are all in Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties; none are in Charles County.
Now is the perfect time to relax and enjoy locally-made wine. Some of these wineries have activities, events, food, and/or music. All have delicious wine! Go to their individual Facebook pages and websites to see their upcoming offerings.
Wineries
Calvert County
Cove Point Winery
- 755 Cove Point Road
- Lusby, MD
- 410-326-0949
Cove Point Winery is one of my favorites! I have not been to the winery in Lusby but have purchased their wine at many locations. Two of my favorites are the Watermelon and the Tropical White Sangria.
Not only can you visit the winery, where they offer tastings, but you can also find them at local events, tastings, festivals, and stores. They can be found at the LaPlata Farmers Market. They will be attending the 26th Annual Wine on the Beach at Ocean City in September.
Cove Point Winery hours:
- Wednesday and Thursday – 11:30 am to 5:30 pm
- Friday and Saturday – 11:30 am to 6:30 pm
- Sunday – 11:30am to 6:00pm
- Monday and Tuesday – closed
Cove Point Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CPWinery
Cove Point website: https://www.covepointwinery.com
Friday’s Creek Winery
- 3485 Chaneyville Road
- Owings, MD
- 410-286-9463
Locally-grown grapes are being made into local wine! The wine is offered for sale by the bottle, by glass, or by samples. They have both white and red wines.
Go enjoy the outdoor and indoor seating. They recently purchased a slushie machine…yum! I have not had their wine before, so I will need to check them out!
You can see them at the Calvert Arts Festival in October.
Friday’s Creek Winery hours:
- Thursday through Sunday – 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Monday and Tuesday – closed
Friday’s Creek Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FridaysCreek
Friday’s Creek website: http://www.fridayscreek.com
Perigeaux Vineyards & Winery
- 8650 Mackall Road
- St. Leonard, MD
- 410-586-2710
According to their Facebook page, “Perigeaux Vineyards & Winery is a small family-owned winery. Making fine Bordeaux-style wines unique to southern Maryland, we are known for our classically crafted, award-winning red wines. Our wines are produced using grapes grown in our estate vineyards on our 27-acre farm, 8 of which are under vine. We invite you to join us to enjoy our wines and the beauty of our vineyards.”
They regularly host live music and food trucks at the winery. They have events the include Ladies Nights, Wine-Down Wednesdays, and slushies.
Perigeaux Vineyards & Winery hours:
- Wednesday through Friday – 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm
- Saturday – 11:00am to 6:00pm
- Sunday – 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Perigeaux Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/perigeaux
Perigeaux website: http://www.perigeaux.com
Running Hare Vineyard
- 150 Adelina Road
- Prince Frederick, MD
- 410-414-8486
Running Hare Vineyard brings a bit of Tuscany and Napa to Southern Maryland. They always have activities/events taking place. They regularly have live music, food trucks, and fun. The Hungry Hare food truck has Hispanic and American cuisine, the Pizza Di Vigna truck has pizza, or you are welcome to bring your own food.
Some special offerings include cocktail flights, mimosa flights, tastings, and slushies. I love their Jack Rabbit White wine! You can also join their VIP Wine Club, which gives you special perks and discounts.
And, if this isn’t enough fun, they also have a Biergarten, where they have beer from local Maryland breweries. They have 16 draft taps, along with bottles and cans.
Running Hare Vineyard hours:
- Wednesday and Thursday – 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
- Friday – 4:00pm to 10:00pm
- Saturday – 12:00pm to 10:00pm
- Sunday – 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Running Hare Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/runningharevineyard
Running Hare website: http://www.runningharevineyard.com
Solomons Island Winery
- 14571 S. Solomons Island Road
- Solomons, MD
- 410-394-1933
From their website, “Fondly referred to as the hobby out of control, Solomons Island Winery was founded as a micro-winery by Ken & Ann Korando in the fall of the year 2002. Originally located on 10 acres just north of Solomons Island along the idyllic shores of Hungerford Creek — Solomons started by growing a small number of their own grapes, however, quickly grew wine production using fruit produced by other growers and as such were able to create a variety of different wine styles.
By 2017, the winery and tasting room had outgrown the location. The tasting room moved to a waterside view right on Solomons Island. The move has allowed the tasting room to feature wines not only produced by Solomons Winery but also wines from France, Italy, and Spain for sample, by the glass, and by the bottle. Wine offerings change seasonally so there is always something new. The winery moved production to a small warehouse about 15 minutes south and continues to purchase fruit for winemaking.”
The tasting room is located alongside The Pier restaurant. There are no events scheduled at this time.
Solomons Island Winery hours:
- Friday through Sunday – 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
- Monday through Thursday – closed
Solomons Island Winery Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/solomonsislandwinery
Solomons Island Winery website: https://solomonsislandwinery.com/
Charles County
There are no wineries in Charles County.
St. Mary’s County
Generations Vineyard
- 22715 Wheatley’s Content Farm Lane
- Leonardtown, MD
- 240-298-2236
This family-owned and operated winery has many activities and events. These include Trivia Night, fundraisers, yoga, tastings, live music, and food trucks.
From their website, “Generations Vineyard was founded in 2012. The vineyard is part of Wheatleys Content Farm that our family has called home for four generations. Throughout that time our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have worked the land at Wheatleys Content to grow many crops such as corn, wheat, barley among many others. The farm also in decades prior has been home to many animals and livestock to provide for the food needs of not only our family but Maryland and the greater country at large. In 2012, and the latest generation of the Norris family sisters caught the farming bug and decided to shape the direction of Wheatleys for the years to come. This is when Generations Vineyard was born. The first years were tough. Lots of hard work in the fields planting, tending, and establishing our initial vines. After 3 years of hard effort, we began down the path of harvesting our grapes and becoming a source for other regional wineries that wanted to showcase unique Maryland-made wines. In 2018, after a number of years of learning the ropes and with the vines really starting to display their potential, the Generations partners decided to take the step to start producing their own unique wines. Now, with the fruits of many years of hard effort, we are happy to begin sharing our wonderful selections of locally crafted wines with the public at large. We look forward to sharing our handcrafted wines with you and your friends and family!”
I haven’t had Generations wine before, but I have added it to my “must try” list.
Generations Vineyard hours:
- Friday – 5:00pm to 9:00pm
- Saturday – 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Generations Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/generationsvineyard
Generations website: http://www.generationsvineyard.com
Port of Leonardtown Winery
- 23190 Newtowne Neck Road
- Leonardtown, MD
- 301-690-2192
From the Port of Leonardtown Winery Facebook page:
“Welcome to the Port of Leonardtown Winery — Southern Maryland’s award-winning winery, serving local wines made from local vines! The winery is owned by the Southern Maryland Wine Growers Cooperative, a group of 12 vineyards located throughout the Southern Maryland area.
The SMWG Cooperative is one of the few agricultural cooperatives in the country that has its own winery with a goal of encouraging wine-growing in the region and making the very best wine in Maryland. The winery opened in May 2010 and has enjoyed continued success since then with over 150 awards from multiple international, national, and state competitions. Experience the flavors of the beautiful Potomac and Chesapeake Bay region — all of our wines are made exclusively with Maryland grapes.
Located in a repurposed historic commercial building within the boundaries of the Port of Leonardtown Public Park, our winery and tasting room is a relaxing, beautiful spot to enjoy local wines, music, and community. When you’ve found your new favorite local wine, pick up a bottle in our wine store, or ask us about our wine club to discover even more of what Port of Leonardtown Winery has to offer!”
Interesting to me, one of the vineyards is up the street from my home in Bryantown. My favorites are the Peach Mango Mambo and the award-winning Chaptico Rose.
The Port of Leonardtown Winery has many events that include live music weekly, food trucks, Karaoke, and Trivia Night. They also have wine slushies, wine tastings, and a wine club. And, they are open every day!
The Port of Leonardtown Winery hours:
- Sunday through Friday – 12:00pm to 6:00pm
- Saturday – 12:00pm to 8:00pm
The Port of Leonardtown Winery Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/portofltownwine
The Port of Leonardtown Winery website: http://www.polwinery.com
Slack Winery
- 16040 Woodlawn Drive
- Ridge, MD
- 301-872-5175
Slack Winery wines are produced at Jubilee Farms in Leonardtown. On Sundays, from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm there are wine tastings at The Wine Cottage at Woodlawn Farm.
I do not know much about their wines. When I get additional information (after an upcoming visit), I will pass it on to you.
Slack Winery hours:
- Saturday – 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Slack Winery Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/slackwine
Slack Winery website: http://www.slackwine.com/
Xella Winery
- 26781 Laurel Grove Road
- Mechanicsville, MD
- 240-249-6954
Xella Winery is a family-owned and operated small farm winery. According to their website, “We love wine that is bold, well-balanced and clean that tells a story of where and how the grapes were grown. We believe in practices both in the vineyard and in the winery that speak to the whole of our farm here in Southern Maryland. This includes biodynamic and regenerative farming practices in the vineyard and minimal interventions in the winery.”
They have a wine tasting and wine by the glass and bottle on Saturdays from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
You can bring your own picnic or go to their website to order food and flowers to be delivered to the winery during your visit.
My first exposure to Xella wines was at Shepherd’s Old Field Market in Leonardtown. They sold Xella wine there. My favorite is the Almost’cato…I’m a fan of sweet white wine.
Xella Winery hours:
- Saturday – 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Xella Winery Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/xellawine
Xella Winery website: http://www.xellawine.com
If you travel out of Charles County, just north into Prince Georges County, you will find some very good wineries. They are all in Brandywine and you should check them out! Located in close proximity to each other are Gemeny Winery and Vineyards, Robin Hill Farm and Vineyards, Janemark Winery & Vineyard, and Romano Vineyard & Winery. I have been to these wineries, and they have great wines. In addition, most have live music and food. They are worth visiting!