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News Headline May 21, 2010
Cooperative Winery Opens in Maryland
Grapegrowers join with government to promote tourism, protect agriculture and market their fruit
Obviously, Port of Leonardtown Winery is not your ordinary winery. It is instead a cooperative winery that resulted from the vision of a group of local officials who were looking for a way to encourage tourism, preserve agricultural land and also promote the growth of the grape and wine industry in southern Maryland.
Caroline L. Baldwin, president of the Southern Maryland Wine Growers Cooperative, told Wines & Vines that while the motivation for starting a winery varied among the different partners, everyone shared the goal of developing a successful winery. “The town of Leonardtown wants to promote tourism; the county is interested in preserving agriculture, and the grapegrowers want a market for their grapes,” Baldwin said. “We’re relieved and excited to finally get the winery open. Everyone has been so supportive, and we really appreciate it. Now we can begin to sell our wine, develop our cash flow and build more interest in the winery.”
Port of Leonardtown Winery opens officially today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located on the Potomac River about 60 miles south of Washington, D.C., the winery includes 15 growers who have a combined total acreage of about 22 acres of grapes. According to Rich Fuller, winery manager, the winery produced 6,000 gallons of wine during the 2009 crush. “We bottled 1,550 cases in mid-April,” Fuller reported, “and we currently have six wines for sale. Another two wines will be bottled this fall. Our goal is to grow to between 10,000 and 12,000 gallons.”
In 2006, the Department of Economic and Community Development of St. Mary’s County hired Stephen Menke, who at the time was state enologist in Pennsylvania, to write a site evaluation and feasibility report. As part of that report, buildings formerly used by the State Highway Administration in Leonardtown were identified as being suitable for housing a winery. One building was designated for the winery and a second to house concessions, restrooms and storage.
The county then contacted the Southern Maryland Grape Growers and Wineries Association and asked the group to investigate the possibility of forming an organization to run a winery. Association members recognized the potential for promoting the region’s emerging wine industry as well as for supporting the local agriculture and tourism industries. After reviewing various business forms, they decided an agricultural cooperative would be the best structure for the winery.
The Leonardtown Town Commissioners had purchased the two acres surrounding the winery in 1999 under Maryland’s Program Open Space; another acre adjacent to the site is owned by the County Commissioners. While the town is primarily responsible for providing the park on the property, the commissioners provided $500,000 in funding in 2007 to develop the actual winery. In addition, the Maryland Agricultural and Resources-Based Industry Development Corporation provided a $25,000 grant and another grant from the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission awarded the winery $65,000.
Francis Jack Russell, president of the Board of County Commissioners for St. Mary’s County, sees great potential for the winery and for the community. “This winery represents an investment in our community’s agricultural economy and will become a tourism destination,” he commented. The mayor of Leonardtown, J. Harry Norris, said that the winery will become the southern tip of the Patuxent Wine Trail that includes wineries in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, and as such it will promote tourism in the entire region.
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