I’m taking it back to the Maryland Wine Festival one more time.   It’s another local special with lots of flavor.

For my peers who have been to Linganore , we’re well aware they know how to throw good festivals, parties, and other various events.

The last of the major festivals takes place this weekend, which will be the Autumn Reggae Wine, Music, and Arts Festival.    I will be unable to attend, however if you’re in the area I do recommend joining the fun.

I was at the Crush Wine Festival at this same venue a few years back and enjoyed my time. It was my one and only visit and loved the view, the company, and the festivities. However, the wine was not up there with my favorites.  The vast majority of what was being poured was sweet and I didn’t find it enjoyable.  I felt like I was drinking way too much sugar-water and got headaches quickly.

Otherwise the employees and volunteers at the event were friendly and approachable. The gentleman giving the tour of the winery was inspiring.  He said enjoy the journey, in reference to the abundance of grapes and choices.

So the wines you see below I was happy to skip.

We move ahead to last months wine fest and Linganore was among the many I got to try once again.  You may be asking why would I try the sweet ones if I didn’t like them before?  Well I avoided them but saw a few others that caught my eye and was looking forward to trying.

This past June I attended the Baltimore Wine Festival where they also sent staff and volunteers, and this is where I first noticed the winery made dry reds.  Where have I been?

Was I sucked into the tunnel vision of assuming all Maryland Wine is sweet?  Not good but now I know better.  The Baltimore version was too crowded that I didn’t actually get a chance to try their wines.  It was my first realization that this winery is stepping up their game, or maybe they always have and I was ignorant of that fact.

The two dry reds I got to try were so wonderful. They were so similar yet had subtle differences.

The 2012 Bacioni is a mix of all my favorites. We have Cabernet  Franc which is automatic in terms of being awesome, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, and Chambourcin.  The latter especially is always a welcome staple to my palate.  When you throw in pepper and oak you have a massive winner.  And at only $15.00 a bottle, this is worth its weight and then some. This was an absolute joy to sip.

And we have the Retriever Red with its wondrous label and just as wondrous flavors. It’s just Chambourcin and Cab Sauv which doesn’t mean it’s any less of a wine.  It’s a little sweeter but not fruit forward if that makes sense.  It’s not as pronounced as the Bacioni but definitely a welcome addition to any collection.

I’d say the former could be better suited for special occasions and the Retriever can be opened at any time.  And take my word for it, I’m giving high praise to both.

At the wine festival I had repeated samples of both without any shame.

I don’t recall the price of the Retriever Red and don’t see it listed in online sales.  However most of their other wines are available and hopefully your state is on there!

Here’s a list of their remaining appearances outside of the winery

And if you’re headed to the Reggae Festival, enjoy yourselves!

For the last two recaps from the wine festival, you can go here and here, respectively.

I have at least half-dozen local wineries I could write about and I hope to get to them all.  I’d also like a corresponding visit or return to go hand-in-hand in addition to a recap of their appearance at the Maryland Festival.  So I may consider doing a few bonus posts outside of my weekly Wednesday post.

We shall see what next week or the next post brings.

Salud.

Ideen