4 Best Wineries near Middletown

“This is truly an awesome small winery with some BIG wines! The petit Verdot and petit Syrah are truly unique. The traminnette and Vidal blanc are crazy spectaculars. The Albariño and Cab Sauvignon compete against any big winery out there. Highly recommended.“

“I don’t believe I’ve ever had mead before- this mead wowed my socks off! We seemed to like the classic mead more than the bubbly’s. However, the bubbly’s were more fruity & still delicious.They did sell some snacks, sold pre-packaged, which was fine by me as I couldn’t finish all the crackers.There was only one worker, who was great! He was the tasting room manager, and did a great job telling us all about the mead and answering our 5001 questions.The view and atmosphere was stunning- even at the beginning of March. I’m looking forward to going back through the seasons to sip and relax.“

“Before coming to Willow Oaks, I had pretty much sworn off on American cider. What is available is generally too sweet and overly carbonated. At the suggestion of some friends, we stopped by the cidery when down for a visit from Ohio. I could write a few pages of the wonderful experience my wife and I had here. Lori and Eric were (and are) wonderful hosts. My wife and I are planning our next visit.“

“Knew we would be in the area for the weekend, so we reached out to see if a tasting and tour slot was available and it was. Of note, you MUST pre-book your tasting and tour - they operate on an appointment-only basis and it's BYOF (bring your own food). This is not only their vineyard, but also their home - which means you are welcomed in like a guest by Ed and Kathy for your visit. Our visit started with a tour of the vineyard grounds - you will get up close and personal with the grape vines and understand what is really behind what you taste later on. There's plenty to see as there is 15 acres under vines and a total of 7 different grape varietals (two whites, Chardonnay and Albariño and five reds, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Teroldego and Pinot Noir). You'll learn why they planted the way they did and why they planted what they did. You'll understand that Ed's medical background shows up in the health and care of the vines in ways that make a difference in the final output of the plants. We then went to the porch for a fireside tasting of four wines: Albarino (2022), Rose of Cabernet Franc (2022), Cabernet Franc (2020 - American Oak and 2020 - Slovenian Oak). The wines are outstanding. The Albarino is crisp, dry and refreshing - ready for any fish or poultry meal, or just a nice dry white to enjoy with friends. The Rose is a perfect sipper - not sweet by any means and would work well with a variety of foods. The Cabernet Francs were tasted side-by-side while listening to the story of their Slovenian Oak barrels / barrel-making process. The American Oak is full bodied and to me had a hint of a whiskey-like feel to it. The Slovenian Oak was smooth and elegant - certainly something worth enjoying with friends and family. After that, we went into the barrel room to see some more of the operation and do a barrel tasting (if you've not done one of these before, they are very special as you're tasting wines before they are bottled and in some cases while they are still in the maturing phase!). It was an informative and enjoyable experience - it's clear that Ed and Kathy are passionate about their grapes and wines. Take the trip to the mountains and treat yourself to some amazing Maryland wines while there at Six Wicket Vineyards!“