Elk Run Vineyards, Mt. Airy

Well. Here was the last stop on my birthday winery tour! Another smaller operation than Linganore, but bigger than Loew's. It had a rustic and garden-y feeling to it....if that makes any sense. The tasting was $2 for 5 wines, or $5 for 5 wines and a souvenir glass.

Overall, their wines were good but nothing stood out to me on this trip. I did like the opportunity to taste their Malbec ($22) since I like that varietal. It smelled very strong, but it was actually a mild taste. One wine I didn't like was their Syrah, sadly enough, since it was the first Maryland Syrah! Oh well...

I also liked how they had bread and cheese for you to buy with any glasses of wine. Cute place.

A cute little area to sit and enjoy your wine with some bread and cheese.

Elk Run Vineyards
15113 Liberty Road
Mt. Airy, MD 21771
Phone: 410-775-2513
www.elkrun.com

Loew Vineyards, Mt. Airy

After going to Linganore, we stopped in at Loew Vineyards. This was a MUCH smaller operation. In fact, Lois Loew was the pourer in the tasting room! While I loved that it had such a family-operation feel, I unfortunately did not feel as much love for their wine.

But first let me say, tastings cost $2, or $5 if you want to keep a souvenir glass. You are able to taste whatever wines they have on the counter-- but it was a nice variety. I tried 7 wines. These are small tastings, let me remind you!!!!

For some reason I tasted a lot of mint in these wines, and in one I thought it tasted like mustard (The Country Classic). I think the problem with my distaste for these wines is that I tasted them right after tasting all those sweet wines back at Linganore. I'm pretty sure my taste buds had not recovered.

I hate to give a Maryland winery a bad review, but it's important to be honest. If you go to Mt. Airy, definitely check this place out and if you go to a wine festival-- please visit their tent and see for yourself!

Loew Vineyards
14001 Liberty Road
Mt. Airy, MD 21771
301-831-5464
www.loewvineyards.net

Linganore Winecellars/Berrywine Plantations, Mt. Airy

The main tasting room and shop

One of my most favorite ways to pass the time is to visit a winery (or some wineries). I love wineries. They are usually set in the most gorgeous locations, surrounded by really friendly and interesting people, and they usually have wine tastings! I've been meaning to go to Linganore Winecellars for a couple of years now. They probably have the most extensive wine list of any Maryland winery, and they allow you to taste any and all of them for free when you visit! I would advise you not to do that if you want to accomplish anything else that day :)

What did I tell you about gorgeous locations?

I tried quite a few of the wines offered, but I'm not going to sit here and write wine notes, because I am not good at describing wine other than saying "Yum" and "Gross."

The tasting room and shop from the inside. It was really lovely.

The White wines that I really loved were the Oak-aged Chardonnay ($16.04) and the semi-sweet white May Wine ($14.15).

The Red wines I loved were the cabernet sauvignon ($18.87) and Chambourcin ($26.41).

My absolute favorites, however, were the pure fruit wines. They were delicious! Definitely not something you could drink a lot of-- they are all very sweet--but perfect for sipping on summer nights. The fruit wines included: Peach, Plum, Stawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry and Blueberry (range from $12.26-16.04). I ended up buying the Raspberry wine ($12.15) which won the 2007 Governor's Cup Gold.

What I took home. Yum.

I really loved this winery. My pourer, Joyce, was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. I know they have a bunch of festivals throughout the year, and most of their smaller events are free. This place is awesome!

Linganore Winecellars/Berrywine Plantations
13601 Glissans Mill Road
Mt. Airy, MD 21771
410-795-6432
www.linganorewines.com