Grape & Grain Tours of the Ag Reserve
by jacqueline arnold I Office of Agriculture
W ine has been enjoyed by cultures around the world for thousands of years , but how did it make its way to Maryland , and when did it become popular in the DMV ?
In 2007 , a team of UCLA researchers discovered evidence of the oldest ( 4100 BC ) winery in Ancient Armenia . However , wine wasn ’ t introduced to our little corner of the world until 1619 when the French began importing French grapevines and cultivating wine in Virginia . Although winemaking made its way up and down the Eastern Seaboard , it took another 100-plus years for it to become popular in this area . When Thomas Jefferson was appointed as the Minister to France in 1785 , his travels abroad exposed him to Bordeaux wine , with which he fell in love . Convinced that this quality of wine could be produced in the
United States , Jefferson returned with French grape cuttings and aspirations of cultivating exquisite wines in Virginia . To see the full historical timeline exploring the globalization of wine , visit Vine- Pair ’ s article , “ How Wine Colonized the World .” We ’ re now discovering that land in Montgomery County ’ s Agricultural Reserve has “ the potential to yield brilliant wines ,” as noted by distinguished geologist , Ernest “ Bubba ” Beasley in 2016
Winemaking Process
42 plenty I autumn harvest 2020