Last weekend I stepped away from the norm and decided to do this thing I rarely do — drink local wine.  I love our west coast — bring me Napa, Sonoma, Oregon (going in October!!!) and Washington.  But, I live in Maryland and wineries are not far away.  So, why not explore what’s a car ride vs. a plane ride (aka several hundred dollars before the wine purchase) away.

Friends slated 3 wineries for the day and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.  I was expecting nothing superb but ended up with wines that I will put on my regular list.

Our first visit was to Elk Run in Mt. Airy.  For the simple tasting you had 7 pours — lucky number, right?  There was a nice variety.  I was quite surprised when the Cab was my favorite.  That’s normally my last resort for a the wine to choose when picking a red.

For the entire menu, it was quite extensive should you want a regular pour.  This was our first visit, so didn’t want to go too crazy.

Our next visit was about 5-10 minutes away at Black Ankle.  Their grapes grow on rocks and therefore get no leaves.  Per our wonderful ‘pourer,’ it’s very sad.  They get about 2.5 tons of grapes per acre because of the ground.  But let me tell you, GREAT wine, particularly for Maryland.  We tasted 4 wines and they were phenomenal.

At Black Ankle, they also want you to come enjoy a picnic and relax, so everyone in the group brought food and we kicked back and relaxed for awhile.

Our last destination was Serpent Ridge in Westminster.  I will qualify this as more Maryland wine.  Not spectacular, but we had already been to 2 wineries.  It was nice to explore another location in the area and see what they have to offer, though.

We ended the day by returning to Black Ankle and kicking back for a little bit longer as some storms rolled in.  I just have to say Cheers! to local wineries for expanding their vineyards, wineries, production, etc, etc, etc and drawing in the locals, visitors and everything else.  The expansion of the wine industry throughout the country over the past couple years has been quite interesting.  From the Finger Lakes in NY to MD and VA, to MI and TX.  This country is up for some fun over the next decade+.  Though I know I will always love the West Coast, just like supporting the farmers at your local farmer’s market, the same will soon come with wine.  On that note, what are you pouring tonight?