Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/534849
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J u l y - A u g 2 015 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 2 9 significantly behind its neighbors in the mid-Atlantic region. New Jersey, Pennsyl- vania, and especially Virginia, seemed light years ahead in terms of number of winer- ies and vineyards, and in terms of wine quality. Today – and it seems almost as if this happened overnight – Maryland is well on its way to being a serious wine-produc- ing state. 2001 A TURNING POINT It's fair to say that 2001 is when the wine tide began to turn in Maryland. That was the year when Kevin Atticks, now the executive director of the Maryland Wineries Asso- ciation, and Fiola arrived on the scene and began the herculean task of pulling Mary- land's wine industry onto a par with its neighbors. "When Joe and I arrived, our first major collaborative effort was to develop the ay I offer you a glass of SK77-10- 69? Or if you prefer red, perhaps some fruity XIV-11-57? Actually, you'll probably have to wait until these experimental grapes have acquired commercial names and made their way to mainstream vineyards and wineries before the wines will be available. Or you can hope to be invited to a tasting such as the one Dr. Joseph Fiola recently hosted at Maryland's Wye Institute Test Vineyard. At that event, Fiola, who runs the Uni- versity of Maryland Extension viticultural program, walked current and potential grapegrowers through the particulars of lesser-known grape varieties (such as the aforementioned XIV-11-57) and shared his views on which ones hold the most prom- ise for Maryland. When I first visited Maryland's wine country a couple of decades ago, I was surprised to discover that the state lagged Joe Fiola, Russian varieties add spark to state's wine business Massive Strides in Maryland + Until 2001 or so, Maryland lagged behind the wine industries of other mid- Atlantic states. + Joe Fiola and Kevin Atticks campaigned for greater investments in grapegrow- ing and winemaking. + Funds from the Tobacco Buyout Program helped farmers transition from tobacco to viticulture. + Fiola has played a crucial role in helping the Maryland wine industry move forward. + Dave Collins, encour- aged by Fiola's work, has produced several award- winning wines. AT A GLANCE Joe Fiola, head of the University of Maryland Extension viticultural program, has played a key role in the advancement of the state's wine industry. EAST COAST WATCH MARGUERITE THOMAS