LEONARDTOWN, Md. – Port of Leonardtown Winery earns the 2018 Maryland Governor’s Cup for their best-in-show winning Barbera Reserve 2015. This Port of Leonardtown Winery entry was awarded a gold medal and secured the best-in-class title in the Red Wine category before claiming the annual competition’s top honor. Great Shoals Winery earned a best-in-show award with their Hard Strawberry wine scoring the Jack Aellen Cup. With the Governor’s Cup, Port of Leonardtown Winery takes seven gold medals home from this competition, and also becomes the first winery in Southern Maryland to earn the top award.
“There is no doubt that it is in our state’s best interest to keep our farms growing, thriving, and innovating, and that includes our vineyards and our swiftly growing wine industry,” said Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan. “Agriculture is such a significant part of our history, our heritage, and our economy, and our wine producers are an important part of that.”
“Congratulations to St. Mary’s County’s Port of Leonardtown Winery, the recipient of the 2018 Maryland Governor’s Cup,” said Hogan.
Winemaker Lauren Zimmerman is ecstatic about the big win. “Having won many Best-in-Class awards for our estate grown wines in the past, it is a true honor to win the prestigious Governor’s Cup,” she said. The winery plans to unveil the award-winning Barbera Reserve 2015 to the public at the 35th Annual Maryland Wine Festival on Saturday, September 15, 2018 at the Carroll County Farm Museum.
Port of Leonardtown is a cooperative winery consisting on 11 vineyards in Southern Maryland. All the grapes that go into our wines are grown in St. Mary’s, Charles, and Calvert Counties.
“It’s absolutely no surprise that Port of Leonardtown had such a huge day, said Competition Director Al Spoler. “They’ve been steadily improving for some time now, and today they entered the conversation about Maryland’s best wineries.”
Visit the Maryland Wineries Association webpage for the full details of the event and results.