HOLLYWOOD, Md. — Four pillars of St. Mary’s County’s craft beverage scene — Tobacco Barn Distillery, Port of Leonardtown Winery, Corteau Vineyards, and Xella Winery and Vineyard — took center stage Monday during the unveiling of St. Mary’s Liquid Assets’ new branding and retail display shelves while aboard the Big Kahuna Cruise.
The Sept. 29 “Liquid Launch” cruise, hosted with support from the St. Mary’s County Department of Economic Development, Visit St. Mary’s MD, and the Maryland Department of Commerce, brought together business owners, officials and industry leaders to celebrate the future of local craft beverages.
Scott Sanders of Tobacco Barn Distillery introduced the custom retail shelving designed to display locally made alcohol side by side.
“For those of you who have stores, this is what you can have placed in your store to show that you’re carrying local alcohol,” Sanders said. “The whole purpose again is not only about the craft beverage makers, but to promote small businesses.”
Sanders also emphasized collaboration across industries. “Part of what this is all about is collaborations,” he said.
Port of Leonardtown Winery highlighted its legacy as the nation’s only cooperative winery.
“We are the only co-op winery in the nation and we are standing pretty tall and making, at this point I think we have 30 labels,” said Michael Hughes of the winery, which opened in 2010 after the Southern Maryland Wine Growers Cooperative transformed the former state highway garage in Leonardtown.
Corteau Vineyards, located in Mechanicsville, used the event to mark a new milestone in its business.
“We broke away about five years ago from Port of Leonardtown and went out on our own. Just got my wholesalers license, so this is our first venture of getting our toes wet,” said Lyrel Byrne, whose family has grown grapes in St. Mary’s County since 2004.
For Xella Winery and Vineyard, based in Mechanicsville, the cruise also served as an entry point into wholesale distribution.
“We’re open on Saturdays. We also are just starting to wholesale. This was kind of the impetus for branching out into the wholesale world,” said co-owner Erin Melanson, who operates the winery with her husband, Les.
Other participants included Ron Sharma of Wildewood Wine & Spirits; Josh and Erin Gibbons, owners of Big Kahuna Cruises; Laschelle and Tommy McKay, who helped establish Port of Leonardtown Winery and are preparing to open a new retail market in Charlotte Hall; Alyssa Reeves of Visit St. Mary’s MD; Andrew Ponti of the St. Mary’s County Museum Division; Virginia Willett of NFP Insurance; and Katie Callander, publisher of The BayNet.
Together, attendees underscored the momentum of St. Mary’s Liquid Assets, a coalition representing local distilleries, wineries, breweries, cideries and other beverage producers working to elevate the region’s craft industry.
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