Vinotrip

Posted by: Gary on April 27th, 2009

Went on a quick ride out to Frederick and Carroll Counties to visit two wineries this past weekend. First was Elk Run Vineyards, a rustic winery about 15 miles east of Frederick, Maryland. Elk Run was founded over twenty-five years ago making them ancient in terms of Maryland vineyards. All the fruit for the flagship wines is grown in Cold Friday vineyard, about a mile from the tasting room. Their other vineyard, Liberty Tavern, sits on the same site as the tasting room. I don’t believe any wines made from Liberty Tavern have been released. I didn’t see any when we were there, at least.

I have experienced a love/hate relationship with Elk Run’s wines. Their Cabernet Sauvignon was the first Maryland wine I ever spent more than $20 on and was nothing but disappointment and despair. Elk Run’s Gewurztraminer, however, is one of the best Maryland wines I’ve ever had.

No surprise that my favorite of the tasting was the Gewurtz ($24) followed by the Cabernet Franc ($28). Their Cab Franc showed off some vegetal qualities, nice Earth and of course lots of fruit. The Gewurztraminer was fuller than I remember, but that isn’t a bad thing. We left with a bottle of Viognier which my notes read as having been “nice.” Perhaps that was because of the sub-$20 price.

Earlier I argued that wine clubs can’t exist without direct shipping. Clearly I’m not in Elk Run’s RSS reader.

Elk Run is worth a visit, especially if you aren’t in a hurry and can relax with a glass or two. The tasting room is small and cozy. Five dollars gets you tastes of six wines from the fifteen or so on their tasting sheet. They have a nice patio with picnic tables that run up against the vineyards. You can pick up a glass of wine and hang outside in a nice setting.

Elk Run Vineyards
15113 Liberty Rd
Mt Airy, MD 21771
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday, 1-5pm; Friday evenings from 6-9.

Serpent Ridge Vineyard is tucked up into a twisted forest road in Carroll County, Maryland. Owners Greg and Karen Lambrecht released their first vintage of wine this year, mostly made form fruit on their relatively tiny five acres of vines sitting up on a hill.

The best that they poured was a nice Albarino ($24) which I brought home with me. Their Seyval Blanc ($16) was a good value with nice apricot and peach flavors. The tasting room has all sorts of local cheeses, crackers, and snacks for you to eat while you sit outside and sip on a glass (or a bottle) of their wines.

The friendly people and operations at Serpent Ridge are top notch and the winery is a must-stop if you’re tasting around Carroll County. I haven’t seen the wines out at retail, so if you want to get a taste of new wines in Maryland, go by their testing room for a visit.

Marylandwine.com recently did a piece on Serpent Ridge.

Serpent Ridge Vineyards
2962 Nicodemus Rd
Westminster, MD 21157
Open Saturday and Sunday 11-5

April 27th, 2009 | Tags: cabernet franc, elk run, frederick, how on earth do you spell Gewurztraminer, serpent ridge, sticker shock, viognier, westminster | Category: Maryland, Tasting notes, Wineries | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL