Kent County wines garner rave reviews By MAEGAN CLEARWOOD Student intern | Posted: Thursday, June 21, 2012 10:30 am Crow Farm winery grand opening Noon, Saturday, June 23 12441 Vansants Corner Road, Kennedyville Call 4106485687 for more information. KENNEDYVILLE In the spring of 2010, the Crow Farm planted the first seeds of what it hoped would blossom into its very own vineyard. Nine and a half acres and countless hours of pruning and harvesting later, the farmers are ready to showcase their finished product in a grand opening of their winetasting room. Their wines – a rosé, vidal blanc and sparkling vidal – aren't just notable for their taste; they are the landmark products of Kent County's first winery.
Grape Brandon Hoy prunes a grape vine, one of his many responsibilities as vineyard manager for Crow Farm. His hard work will be celebrated this Saturday at a grand opening ceremony for the farm's new wine tasting room.
"There's a lot of pride that goes into that," said winery manager Brook Schumann. "Kent County has a lot of history, and it feels good to do something totally new, to know that we're the first people to come up with a crazy, exciting idea." Brook and her husband, vineyard manager Brandon Hoy, along with parents and farm owners Roy and Judy Crow, have converted the farm's old milkhouse into the new wine tasting room in preparation for this Saturday's opening. Along with sampling the longanticipated wines, guests will have the chance to listen to music, mingle, and, of course, tour the vineyard where all the hard work began. According to Judy, inspiration for a winery was sparked by shoreVines, an initiative by the Upper Shore Regional Council encouraging the development of local vineyards. "This is the perfect place; it's rural, it's close to metropolitan areas. You just need some people to take the initiative," Brook said. One of the finishing touches for the winery is arriving just in time for the ribboncutting ceremony: a set of stainless steel fermentation wine tanks, imported from South Africa and specially designed for the Crow Farm facilities. "It's a pivotal piece of the economic engine," Judy said. Until now, the family had to outsource for the production process. The tanks mean they can finally do everything – from bottling to fermentation – themselves. "We think it's going to be a good thing for the county, not just us," Brook said. "It will bring in a new group of tourists." The winery is the most recent of many fresh attractions the farm has to offer, including angus beef from grassfed cattle, farmfresh eggs, and even a bed and breakfast. Although the Crows are accomplished farmers and managers, they wanted Brandon and Brook at the head of their newest endeavor. "We like to say it was our idea, and we needed the young folk," Judy said. "They give new eyes to the old ways that we do things. They remind us to work smart."
The winery encapsulates the Crow Farm's "stay original" philosophy toward sustainability and local farming. The family encourages visitors to not only sample their products, but to tour the farm, see how food moves from the fields to the dinner table and try produce from other local growers. "It's important for people to understand where their food is coming from," Brook said. Along with winery consultant John Levenberg and a few farmhands, the family got the project off the ground in record time. They initially planned to start gradually, selling grapes for a few years until they were ready to independently produce and sell their wine. According to Judy, however, they condensed their original 10year plan into three years, thanks to hard work, "the energy and spirit that comes with young people," and expertise from Levenberg. "There's the public perception that Maryland is new to the wine industry, so it takes a long time to get started. We sought out a consultant who had experience and worked with others in the industry to raise the bar," Brandon said. "It will take time for the public perspective to realize that there is really good Maryland wine out there." Brook said the advice and encouragement from local, established wine makers was also integral to the winery's successful beginnings. "We had a lot of communication with wineries that were already set up, and they've been really supportive. They want everything to succeed," she said. Collaborating as a fourperson team was challenging at times, but Judy said delegating different responsibilities among one another helped smooth things over. Each of the family members has a unique, valuable asset to offer: Brandon graduated from Washington College with a degree in environmental science; Brook, a nurse at the University of Maryland Medical Center, has a background in chemistry; Judy was a long time teacher; and Roy has worked on the family farm his entire life. "That's been the biggest eyeopener, that you're not just growing grapes; there's the production and retail as well. You have to have all those skill sets, so it takes a diverse team," Brandon said. "It's a practice in patience." The budding winemakers were forewarned that their first batch of wine probably wouldn't be up to par, but when they tasted their work for the first time this March, they were in for a pleasant surprise. "All of us were prepared to not really be pleased with it. People kept saying it would take a couple of years to get the wine, but all of us were really happy," Brook said. Although the wines' official introduction is this weekend, the family has already showcased the product at various events this summer, including the Chestertown Tea Party and farmers market. Their rosé is currently featured at the Imperial Hotel and the wines will be highlighted during the farm's upcoming farmtotable dinners. So far, they received rave reviews. "We've been selling wine like crazy and we haven't even opened yet," Brook said. "The grand opening is going to feel like we crossed a line. It'll be like getting married; the main point is to have a weekend of congratulations. We've worked really hard and we deserve that kind of moment."