Thanksgiving Farm Winery

Today's visit to Thanksgiving Farm was a friendly and very personal experience. Driving up the long gravel drive, amid trees and vineyards, we found an idyllic setting for a small winery with a small tasting room and some unique wines.


We were greeted by the owners of the vineyard and seated in the small and comfortable tasting room. The tasting experience was accompanied by conversation and stories of the vineyard, quite like sitting in our hosts’ living room for a visit. From understanding how the property was purchased and planted, to a recounting of a trip to Bordeaux, to explanations of how the wines were made (particularly the Franc Blanc and the Rose), it was a relaxed and enjoyable tasting:

• Franc Blanc, a 100% Cab Franc white wine. Some place between a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc, this was a nice dry white, with a touch of fruit.
• 2009 Dry Rose. A bone dry Rose that I liked quite a bit—a strange admission from a red wine drinker who doesn’t know what I am supposed to “get” out of a Rose. The vintner was helpful in explaining how this wine was a result of concentrating juice for their wonderful Meritage.
• 2008 Meritage. Still a bit young in the bottle, this will certainly age well (though I doubt I will be able to hold on to it very long). A medium-bodied dry red Bordeaux blend, emulating the best of the right bank.

Thanksgiving Farm is open on Sunday afternoons. For a quiet afternoon, a pleasant drive into the Anne Arundel country, and some nicely structured wine, it is certainly worthy of a visit.