United States of Wine

Windridge Vineyards — Sparkling Chambourcin — N/V — Darnestown, Maryland

Price: $41; https://www.windridge.wine/

We made an extra effort to visit one of the Mid-Atlantic vineyards that was recently affected by the overnight freeze in late April: Windridge Vineyards in Darnestorn, Maryland, less than four miles from the Potomac River.

Going through a flight of their wines, we noticed how their Chambourcin stood out against their other reds. When our server mentioned that their Sparkling Chambourcin was even better, we took the recommendation. The grapes had been grown in their neighboring vineyard, the Ithaca Vineyard.

We’d had some experience with a Maryland-grown Chambourcin, tasting The Urban Winery’s 2019 Chambourcin last year. The Urban Winery used grapes grown on the eastern part of Maryland, and carried the sandy and salty flavors with them into the bottle. Windridge’s Chambourcin grapes, instead, where grown in the piedmont area of the Appalachian Mountains.

Speaking of the piedmont area, I would love to point out how beautiful the outdoor scenery of the Windridge tasting area is. Rolling hills are seen going on for miles, and you can easily see the wines from your seat.

Back to tasting the Sparking Chambourcin, the wine carried a bright ruby color that one would normally find in a sweet grocery-store wine. Rich in bubbles as it poured, we had to wait a little bit before we could taste something beyond the fizz.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know what a wine made solely of Chambourcin grapes is supposed to smell like. I’ve only had two in my life and they were very different. But the main scent I could pick up was of grape juice, or like what sacramental wine smells like, if you’ve ever had the pleasure to sip that.

The Sparking Chambourcin is dry and soft, but with a very slight sweet tartness, like a Pink Lady apple. A friend who joined us for this tasting was finding that the wine tasted like carbonated prunes.

But we all recognized a berry we have tasted before, but could not place in that moment. It wasn’t until we were further into the bottle when it occurred to use that it was definitely pomegranate that we were tasting in the fizziness.

This is a wine that I would not only recommend, but look forward to enjoying myself again. Windridge does make their wine available at certain shops and restaurants throughout Maryland, but I’m unsure if any have this Sparking Chambourcin available.

Score: 9/10