PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. (April 22, 2009) -– The 25-year-old Dallas Morning News Wine Competition is the largest international wine competition outside the state of California. Each year, thousands of bottles of wine are shipped to Dallas to be swirled, sniffed and tasted by the foremost experts on wine. Judges are carefully selected for their skill and adeptness at being able to detect the subtle hues and notes that make a truly great wine stand out from among the crowd and include various wine and food magazine editors, sommeliers from prestigious restaurants and resorts and fellow winemakers from some of the nation’s most well-known vineyards.
This year, Running Hare Vineyard’s 2008 pinot grigio rose to the top from among a category of 95 entrants and received a gold medal. The competition, which was held in Dallas in February, included over 3,000 wines from 31 states and 21 countries. Running Hare Vineyard is located in Prince Frederick, Calvert County.
Mike Scarborough, owner of Running Hare Vineyard, is thrilled by all the attention. “We couldn’t be happier with the results of this major competition,” he said. “This award is confirmation for us that Running Hare Vineyard wines can hold their own against some of the best wines in the world. It renews our dedication to the art of winemaking and speaks to the skills of our winemaker, Billy Peacock.”
Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association, said this award is an incredible achievement for a start-up vineyard. “A prize like this shows how much the Maryland wine industry has matured over the years. For Running Hare Vineyard to compete and win against major international brands in an event like this is quite an accomplishment.”
Running Hare Vineyard began in 2000 when Scarborough purchased a 300-acre private farm in Prince Frederick. While the property was originally purchased for hunting, Scarborough soon discovered that the sandy, dry soil provided ideal conditions for growing grapes. His love of wine had been cultivated in France where he lived as a child and his desire to pursue winemaking as a hobby was realized in 2002 with a planting of 100 vines. Since then, Scarborough and his wife, Barb, have added several varieties of grapes and the vineyard has expanded from the initial 100 vines to approximately 4,000 vines on an eight-acre vineyard.
The winery has also expanded from a 550-gallon tank capacity to 12,500 gallons, producing over 18,500 bottles of wine since its grand opening in August 2008. Running Hare Vineyard wines can be purchased directly at the vineyard and at retail stores around the state.
For more information, visit online at www.runningharevineyard.com, call 410.414.8486 or e-mail info (at) runningharevineyard.com.