Olney Winery - Hagerstown, Hagerstown

Maryland isn't generally thought of as a hot spot for wineries. But there's an exception to every rule, as Olney Winery proves. Despite its location, the winery maintains close ties with global winemaking hot spots: instead of growing its own grapes in spare tanning beds, the staff sources varietals from locations as far away as California, Chile, and France. The winemakers take over from there and ferment the juice, rack the barrels, and bottle more than 30 different wines on site.

Thanks to this exhaustive work, Olney Winery has a bottle for virtually every palate. The chardonnay's tropical and citrusy notes give way to an oak-tinged finished, and the zinfandel's hints of spice add balance to the luscious flavors of ripe blackberries. In addition to these single-varietal options, the winery also blends complementary fruits into some of its wines to form hybrid creations, including green-apple riesling and cranberry shiraz.

With all of these options to consider, the task of choosing the right wine might seem daunting. Olney Winery’s staffers help beginners define their palates with the store’s U-Vint section. With the helpful guidance of a winery expert, visitors can make their own wine by selecting a varietal and then adding water and yeast to the grapes. The mix then spends 30–40 days fermenting and settling while the winery's team helps by racking and filtering the juice. Customers then return to apply custom labels and foil capsules to 28–30 bottles of their personalized wine.