Top 10 Wineries in Maryland

Maryland, like many of its East Coast neighbors, has seen an increase in the number of wineries and an increase in the quality of wine over the past 10 to 15 years. This means there’s always something new and exciting happening with Maryland wine.

The state’s small size means that many of its wineries are clustered together, making it easy to visit several of Maryland’s 100+ wineries in a short period of time. Beverage tourism is booming in the state with breweries, distilleries, cideries and meaderies increasing in number and quality, too, meaning more to please the palates of everyone in a group.

Maryland is home to three recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) and about 900 acres of vines planted throughout the state, with that acreage consistently increasing yearly as demand for local grapes and local wine grows.

For a small state, Maryland has considerable terroir diversity. In the 100 miles east to west from the Atlantic Coast to the border of West Virginia and the 250 miles that run north and south between Pennsylvania and Virginia, the variation in climate and soil differs greatly, although grapes grow well throughout the state.

The eastern side of the state has a maritime climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, and humidity is a factor in grape growing. The western side of the state has a continental climate, higher elevations, and cooler temperatures. In general, going east to west, the vineyards near Maryland’s coast have well-drained sandy soils, vineyards in the middle of the state, including the Piedmont Plateau, have rich, loamy soils, and vineyards in the western part of the state have sandstone and shale soils.

Maryland wine country is spread throughout the small state that has been divided into four regions and three recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs); official wine regions.

Piedmont Plateau: This region in Central Maryland has the largest concentration of wineries. The state’s three official AVAs are within this region: Catocin AVA, Cumberland Valley AVA, and Linganore AVA. The region also is home to the Frederick Wine Trail and the Mason-Dixon Wine Trail which spill over into Pennsylvania.

Eastern Shore: This region is located along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, and many of the wineries in this region are produced to go with the abundance of seafood that comes from the Chesapeake’s waters. The region is home to the Chesapeake Wine Trail.

Southern Plain: This is the southmost wine region in Maryland, and it’s the warmest region in the state. It’s home to the Patuxent Wine Trail.

Western Maryland: A colder region, the western part of Maryland shares a border with West Virginia. There are just two wineries in the region.

Where to Sip in Maryland Wine Country

Did you know there are more than 100 wineries in Maryland and about 900 acres of vines? The state is also home to three recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), and four distinct wine regions. Not only will you find fine wine made from classic European grapes in Maryland wine country, but new-is-old again styles of wine like pét-nats and piquettes, and quality (and increasingly popular) wines made from native and hybrid grapes. But where should you start? The following 10 wineries in Maryland will give you some of the best wines and experiences the state has to offer.

Top 10 Wineries in Maryland

Big Cork Vineyards

Big Cork Vineyards, located in Rohrersville, has excellent estate-grown wines across the board. They produce a large variety of wines, the majority are dry with a few quality semi-dry bottles. Pack a picnic or buy some goodies from the grab-and-go market to enjoy in the state-of-the-art tasting room or outdoors on the patio or lawn.