All About Mechanicsville’s Brand New Winery, Corteau Vineyards

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. – In 1941, Charles F. “Doc” Conrad of Arlington, Virginia, purchased the land that is now known as Corteau Vineyards, which is located at 38713 Golden Beach Rd, in Mechanicsville. Conrad, who was a Podiatrist in DC, had tenants who grew tobacco and raised pigs. However, as tobacco started to fade out in the 90’s, Conrad started leasing out the fields on the land to farmers who grew corn, grains, and vegetables.

According to the Corteau Vineyards’ website, In 2004, Doc Conrad’s two surviving children, Peter Corteau Conrad and Charles Conrad Jr., along with current owners Peter and Gerald Byrne, and other family members decided to plant a small vineyard of about 25 vines to see if grapes would prosper in the area. They were successful, and the vineyard has continued to expand ever since.

As of late 2022, the vineyards’ production facility and tasting room has been completed. Cortuea Vineyards officially opened to the public on April 28, 2023.

The vineyard offers plenty of dry wines such as Petit Verdot, Barbera, Merlot blend, Pinot Gris, Vidal Blanc, and Chardonnay. They have plans for an Albarino, a sweet white, and a port-style wine that is set to be released later this year.

The venue also plans on hosting events for groups under 75 people, and also plans on featuring live music and food trucks on select Saturdays.

They are currently open on Fridays from 3-8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5 pm. They will continue to evaluate their hours as the weather warms and demand requires.

Although, the vineyard encourages people to keep an eye out for fun events outside of their standard hours. They will also feature seasonal additions such as sangrias and slushies in warmer weather.

Their tasting room is available for classes and parties of under 50 people.

“We are the only winery in Northern St. Mary’s. We make wine exclusively using grapes grown onsite,” Lyrel Byrne, the Business Manager/Tasting Room Manager, told TheBayNet.com. “Our wines are only available through our Tasting Room. It’s a beautiful location surrounded by 14 acres of vineyard on 119 acres of farmland.”