Put on your tasting hats! This Tuesday, August 28 from 3-6pm, join Windmill Creek Vineyard for their Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Bring some blankets and chairs and all your friends to enjoy free wine tastings! There will be wine available by the glass and bottle for purchase, and music of the Bilenki Duo throughout the event.
Keeping up with the family farming tradition dating back to 1924, Brittany Mariner, CEO-President of Windmill Creek Vineyard and Winery, continued the family farming customs by starting the vineyard on the family farm a few years back. Her parents, Barry and Jeannie Mariner, are co-owners of the vineyard and winery.
“My Grandparents made wine from grapes, dandelions and other fruits and herbs that grew on the property as a hobby, passing down recipes through the generations, which sparked this vision,” she said.
As the vineyard opens, they will feature five varieties of unique, distinct tasting wines. One of these will include Windmill’s signature wine, Gruner Veltliner. The Mariner family is cultivating this grape on their family farm with plans to expand their selection of grape vines in the future.
“We are experimenting with grape varieties, cultivating those that will grow well in the unique Eastern Shore climate, producing unique wines that capture the essence of great taste while focusing on quality over quantity.”
The Mariner family inherited their family farm in 2014, but little did they know they were inheriting so many historic elements along with it. The farmhouse was originally built by Lemuel Showell III, the founder of the town of Showell and President of the Pocomoke and Wicomico Railroad. While completing renovations on the farmhouse, the family even discovered a brick fireplace in the original kitchen area that had been covered for over 100 years.
You may have had the opportunity to taste some of the Mariner family’s Windmill Creek wines at local events such as the recent Berlin Peach Festival. You can also look for their wines in local Farmer’s Markets in Ocean Pines and Berlin.
Whether you’ve already tasted these unique wines or not… you won’t want to miss the Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting at the Windmill Creek Vineyard and Winery this Tuesday!