Port of Leonardtown Winery continues to shine as one of Maryland’s top producers, raising its profile despite a location that’s more than an hour’s drive to both Washington D.C. and Baltimore.
Its recent awards include a double gold for its rosé in the Maryland Wineries Association Governor’s Cup competition and best in show and winner of the Comptroller’s Cup for a forced-carbonated sparkling called Bubbly Blonde.
The winery is open noon to 6 p.m. daily, except for a few of the major holidays.
So what’s coming next from a winery that works closely with 25 Southern Maryland Wine Growers Cooperative vineyards, one of the few regional wineries involved in a cooperative like this one?
Winemaker Lauren Zimmerman said they’ll begin to bottle their reds next week, including a new single-varietal Petit Verdot. Zimmerman, one of the judges in the Virginia Governor’s Cup, said that tasting dozens of them in that competition inspired her to create her own.
To be released this week is a Vintner’s Select Rosé and Albariño.
“However, the product I’m most excited about is our Winearita, which will be released this Friday,” she said.
Zimmerman said that this will be Port of Leonardtown’s first wine cocktail, which customers can buy to take home. Inspired by the margarita, she said that she used a white wine base and added fresh lime juice, local raspberries and strawberries, then sweetened it with agave syrup.
Instead of tequila, she spiked it with wine spirits.
“It’s light and super refreshing,” she said, adding that the “cans make it super convenient for all the fun summer activities, including boating, camping, concerts, hiking, and biking.
“I believe this was an essential move due to the global decline in wine consumption,” she said. “We needed to expand our portfolio to cater to younger generations. When I visit local distilleries, their patios are full of millennials and Gen Zs. And, as I am a cocktail lover myself, this was a no-brainer.”