Sips and Trips with Paige

Wow guys, these are some crazy times right now. I am super thankful I was able to have this getaway to Maryland to celebrate Maryland Wine Month. I love supporting small local wineries and I was so excited to get out and rep Maryland Wine Pass!

I will recap this trip with the wineries we visited and if they participate in Maryland Wine Pass. Make sure you look out next week for Part 2!

This trip focused on one of the eight wine trails in Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail! We started our trek at Boordy Vineyards. Boordy does not participate in the Maryland Wine Pass… yet 😉 I gotta work my magic. I knew we had to stop at Boordy because they were the first Maryland Winery, they have been open for 75 years! Boordy offers two wine tastings, the Classic for $10 and their Landmark Series for $15. We all did their Landmark Tasting since this was all dry wine. Boordy has a beautiful, rustic tasting room and facility with multiple bars. Some of my favorite wines included their 2015 Cabernet Franc Reserve and their 2016 Merlot Reserve. Between their acreage onsite and their other vineyard, they have 50 acres of vines planted. They do produce a lot of wine and are able to sell in liquor stores around the state of MD! They had music set up outside and plenty of seating to enjoy our picnic. This is definitely a winery that I will be visiting again soon!

Following Boordy Vineyards we stopped at Turkey Point Vineyards. Their tasting room is located off an adorable street with lots of restaurants and shops… the perfect place to stop and peruse. If you want to taste, you pay $1 per wine! Most of their list is sweet wine so we just tasted their dry options; Chardonnay and Merlot. If you are a Maryland Wine Pass Cardholder, you get 10% off bottles!

Our next stop was the BEAUTIFUL Chateau Bu-De Winery. First off, their tasting room is gorgeous. They have plenty of indoor seating as well as outdoor. Their tasting room overlooks the Bohemia River… gorgeous. Our tasting attendant, Chris, was amazing and we loved chatting with him and learning about the winery. They currently have 440 acres with 25 under vine. They have been a winery since 2013 and have a South African wine maker. Chateau Bu-De offers four different tasting options; sparkling, white, red, and premier. Zach did the white while I did the red… sharing is caring (well, before Covid-19 that is). We loved so many wines here! Our favorites included their Blanc De Blanc, Shoreline White, and their 1660 blend. The Shoreline white is a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, a unique blend… it got its name because those two grapes grow closest to the shore. Chateau Bu-De offers Maryland Wine Pass cardholders 15% off cases.

Our final and maybe (favorite) stop of the day was Broken Spoke Vineyard and Winery. When we walked in we were greeted by their pig, Gus. Yes y’all, a PIG! Their tasting room has been open since 2017 and they pride themselves on being a boutique winery. Maggie, our tasting attendant, was wonderful. She is the daughter of the owners, Thea and Rob. Broken Spoke offers flights rather than tastings. They offer three rotating options; Spring Fling, Reds, or Classics. The flights include 4, 1oz samples. On top of their normal tasting flights, they have an ‘All In’ tasting, this is 1/2oz samples of all their wines. They also have a Challenge Cup Tasting; the bar chooses 4 wines and if you identify all the wines correctly, you get a Broken Spoke prize! Next time I visit, I am definitely trying the Challenge Cup! Some of my favorites included their Fill in the Blanc Sauv Blanc, Chit Chat Chardonnay and their Revel Red Barbera. If you are a Maryland Wine Pass Cardholder, you get buy one flight, get one free! I cannot wait to go back and try one of their fun tasting options!

There you have it, day one of our Maryland Wine adventure! It was such a fun day and I am so glad we got to enjoy the day with friends. Be on the lookout for day 2!

Cheers, Paige