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WineEastNews Maryland Welcomes Antietam Highlands Wine trail connects four wineries in two counties and joins five other trails across state C lear Spring, Md.—Ten years ago, no wineries existed in Maryland's Washington and western Frederick counties. Then Dr. Joe Fiola, viticulture and small fruit specialist at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center in Keedysville, Md., undertook a study of the suitability of soils for grapegrowing in Maryland and found that the state—and especially the region around Hagerstown, Md.—had excellent potential. After seeing Fiola's work on soils, Don Munson, a Maryland state senator from Washington winesandvines.com County, became an enthusiastic supporter of Learn more: Search keywords the state's wine and grape industry (specifically "Antietam Highlands." in Washington County) and helped build awareness at the state level and buoy the industry through funding. According to Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association, four wineries have opened in the region, a fifth is about ready to open, and another four may open in the next 12-18 months. On April 16, those four wineries took another major step toward marketing the area as a wine region with the official establishment of the Antietam Highlands Wine Trail. The launch 74 W in es & V i ne s J U NE 2 013 A ribbon-cutting ceremony April 16 at Knob Hall Winery signified the opening of the new Antietam Highlands Wine Trail. included a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Knob Hall Winery in Clear Spring. Dick Seibert, managing partner of Knob Hall Winery and president of the Maryland Wineries Association, hosted the event. "It is great to have the wine industry expanding into western Frederick County, Washington County and western Maryland," Seibert told Wine East. "We have some unique soil—actually some of the best soils and places to grow grapes in Maryland—that will help us produce excellent wine." The wineries on the Antietam Highlands Wine Trail plan to do wine trail events similar to those offered by other wine trails after they finish current bottling projects. In the meantime, the trail will give visitors another reason to stay longer in the area. The Antietam Highlands Wine Trail area includes five national parks, 10 state parks and more than 30 museums. More information is available at marylandwine.com. —Linda Jones McKee