On a 100-acre family farm outside Rising Sun, Dove Valley Winery makes wines from its own vineyard, which Harry and Janet Hepbron planted in 1998 as Cecil County’s first vineyard and winery. The multi-generation operation was built as a family legacy, and its wines have earned Best in Class and medal recognition at the Maryland Governor’s Cup and Finger Lakes International competitions.
Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery, LLCOn a Dorchester County farm the Layton family has owned since 1948, Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery grows grapes and makes Maryland Eastern Shore wines. Founded in 2010 after William and Jennifer Layton returned to the family farm, the winery now tends more than 14 acres of vines and welcomes visitors to a relaxed tasting room with tours, trails and a porch. It is also the Mid-Atlantic’s first and only Certified Craft Winery.VIENNA, MD
Red Heifer WineryOn a 56-acre Smithsburg hillside that was once the Naylor Peach Orchard, Kevin and Yvonne Ford run Red Heifer Winery, making wine from a vineyard planted in 2010. Owner and winemaker Kevin Ford processes, ages, and bottles every wine on-site, while the family farm’s history—from peaches and apples to dairy and hay—still shapes the winery’s character. Opened in November 2012, the adults-only winery pairs its dry and sweet wines with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains.SMITHSBURG, MD
Black Ankle VineyardsFounded by former management consultants Ed Boyce and Sarah O’Herron, Black Ankle Vineyards grows, makes, and bottles wines entirely from grapes cultivated on its Maryland farms. The operation began with its first plantings in 2003 and 2004 and now farms 108 acres of vines across 577 acres, with sustainability built into everything from vineyard work to a tasting room made largely from materials grown or gathered on the property. Visitors can taste the wines and enjoy local fare among the vines in Mount Airy.MOUNT AIRY, MD
Boordy VineyardsSince its 1945 licensing, Boordy Vineyards has grown and made wine on a Maryland family farm, using estate grapes from vineyards in Baltimore County and the Blue Ridge. The R. B. Deford family has owned Boordy since 1980, and four generations now live and work on the farm, where a 2013 winery turns carefully tended fruit into wines with a distinctly Maryland character. Its historic grounds, including a restored 19th-century barn listed with the winery buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, also welcome visitors for tastings and tours.HYDES, MD