Sotterly Wine Festival

On Sunday, during rain, wind and cold temperatures, I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteeer to work a booth at the annual Sotterly Plantation Wine Festival. 

First, I want to say that if you have never had the opportunity to visit Sotterly Plantation, I totally suggest you do so if you are in the area.  It is the only remaining Tidewater Plantation in Maryland that us open to the public.  Sotterly Plantation is older than other famous plantation homes such as Mount Vernon and Monticello.  It's worth a tour, even if there isn't an event ongoing. 

You can find out more about Sotterly by visiting this link.  You can see more old photos, find out about upcoming events, learn the history, and even find out how to volunteer.    I find one of the most fascinating things is the evolution of the mansion itself and the plantation site map gives you a great idea for how vast this plantation truly is. 

You can also Facebook friend Sotterly Plantation. 


Back to the Wine Festival, even though the weather was frightful on Sunday, many people braved the weather and came out.  There were vineyards and wineries from all over the Maryland area in attendance, doing tastings, and selling their wares.  The giant and I visited many of the tents set up to house the vendors, and even purchased a couple of bottles of a really fun wine.  Also in attendance were several area food vendors and the most fabulous band to keep us company throughout, along with various other merchants and vendors.  There was even an art show in one of the barns!

For a few hours, the giant and I had the opportunity to man the booth for Running Hare Vineyard.  Owners, Mike and Barb Scarborough were absolutely fabulous to us.  Even though I had worn long sleeves and a jacket, I was freezing, and Barb loaned me a coat to wear.  Running Hare Vineyards had the following wines available for tasting:

Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Jack Rabbit White, Rabbit's Foot, Sangiovese, Malbec, Shiraz, and Chambourcin

We had a fabulous time pouring tastings for visitors and all too soon it was time to help pack up and go.  The giant choose to take home the Shiraz (his favorite) and I choose the Malbec and Sangiovese.  The giant has already cracked open a bootle of the Shiraz. 

Another thing I recommend to visitors is visiting the Running Hare Vineyard.  They hold wine tastings every Wednesday and Sunday from 12:00pm to 6:00pm.  The location is wonderful and the new building they've built feels just like Tuscany.  You can Facebook friend Running Hare Vineyard as well. 

If you see a bottle of their wine for sale, you can't go wrong with picking up a few bottles for yourself.  The Jack Rabbit white is a sweeter wine, but not too sweet.  The Malbec would be a perfect accompaniment for a cigar, and the Chambourcin would be wonderful as dessert.  Enjoy!