When you think of wine vineyards—most likely the image that comes to mind is lush green rolling fields of Napa Valley or the historic vineyards of Bordeaux, France.

You probably don’t think of our Nation’s Capital, Washington, DC as a prime location for harvesting a magnificent bounty of wine grapes. But, think again. Just beyond the beltway, only an hour drive or so away from the lobbyists, monuments and government gridlock are beautiful vineyards.

Vineyards Road Trip

Pack your corkscrew and go for a drive. The vineyards of Maryland and Virginia make for a perfect daytrip with your gal pals. Most of them offer wine tastings, tours and host various events.

Our local wines will dazzle your taste buds and keep you coming back for more. You’ll find a wide variety of wines at local vineyards, red, pink and white; sweet, semi-sweet and dry. Expand your pallet and try wines made from apples, berries or chocolate. Discover the taste of specialty flavors inspired locally—terrapin white, colonial red or Annapolis sunset.

DC regional wines have even won prestigious awards across the country and are well known around the globe.

Hurricane Irene and Uncorked Rockville

Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene stormed through our region and canceled Uncorked Rockville. I was looking forward to attending and tasting all the local wines at the festival. Since Irene changed our plans, we had to come up with an alternative.

Many DC-area liquor stores carry a nice variety of local wines. I stopped by, picked up several bottles and staged my own local wine tasting at home.

Here are some favorites that we enjoyed:

Sugarloaf Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon—A dark, dry red wine with a bold flavor where you can taste the wine’s smokey and earthly spices.

Linganore Vineyard, Mountain White—This sweet wine showcases a bold grape flavor to it that’s sure to please your pallet.

Boordy, Riesling—If you like Rieslings, you’ll really enjoy this sweet Boordy version that has a pleasant hint of oak to it.

Elk Run, Sweet Katherine—A delicious dessert wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon is a perfect pairing for chocolates, cakes and strong cheeses.

Upcoming Wine Festivals

As autumn approaches, the cooler weather brings with it two major wine festivals that you don’t want to miss: The Maryland Wine Festival and the Virginia Wine Festival. Hopefully, the weather will be beautiful in early September for these festivals and we won’t have to worry about hurricanes!

Maryland Wine Festival

Take pleasure in Maryland wine with tastings from the wineries, live music, and foods from local restaurants, arts and crafts and wine education seminars.

September 17-18
Sat 10-6 p.m., Sun 12-6 p.m.
$30 general admission

Carroll County Farm Museum
Westminster, Carroll County
Go to Maryland Wine Festival

Virginia Wine Festival

The Virginia Wine Festival, the largest wine festival in Virginia, features wine tastings from 60 Virginia wineries, gourmet food samples, seminars, concerts, arts and crafts and more. Seminars include everything from wine and food pairing to wine history to planning a tour of Virginia’s wineries.

September 17-18
11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Bull Run Regional Park
7700 Bull Run Drive
Centreville, Virginia
$25 In Advance / $30 at the Gate (21 and older)
$16 In Advance / $22 at the Gate – Non-Tasting Admission Designated Drivers get free non-alcoholic beverages all day
Go to ATW Productions for more information.