Uncorked Grows Into A Signature Event

DiVine mesmerized the crowd at Rockville’s Uncorked Wine and Music Festival on Saturday. This vine-covered performer characterized the uniqueness and growth of the event as she walked along the streets then blended into the scene. A few years ago the music festival was much smaller in scope and not as well-attended. The Town Square was new with saplings along the streets. Now the trees and the festival have grown so that a large green performer on stilts easily disappeared in the crowded street setting.

Locals didn’t want to miss Uncorked, especially when they spied clusters of grape-shaped balloons decorating the streets. People also came from around the beltway to taste the Maryland wines, often comparing them to Virginia’s reserve. Although there might be Maryland wine festivals in other parts of the state, this is the only one in the DC area.

Intent on discovering a favorite Maryland wine at the Festival, I brought together a small band of tasters, both friends and strangers. One of our participants recently moved to College Park from Seattle and decided to go to Uncorked after interviewing for a job in Rockville and seeing the banners. As the gang made their way through the selections from the wineries, people learned of our mission and would make recommendations. Everyone preferred dry reds, so the group searched for the best red wine. Maryland wines are often fruity and white, but the group wanted to know how Maryland’s contributions compare to the wines they usually consumed.

Although the decision was close and the tasters couldn’t try all of the wines offered, the group decided the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Boordy Vineyards was best. The Cabernet was smooth, refined, and more complex than other selections. Established in 1945, Boordy is Maryland’s oldest family-run winery. Located on a 230-acre farm in the Baltimore countryside, the winery specializes in oak-aged cabernets and it shows. Elk Run’s Merlot and Basignani’s Lorenzino Reserve were also favorites.

This year, the City of Rockville ordered 3,000 wine glasses, up from last year’s 2,000. The supply ran out around 4 PM when the event was still crowded and going strong. At the time, Superland was performing their new-era funk on the main Plaza stage. A sure sign of a good show, the crowd grew during their performance as more and more people were drawn to their “raucous horn section”. The headliner stage showcased the best of our area’s local talent and I’ve been told Bill Kirchen’s “rockabilly rave-up” was amazing when he took the stage at noon.

The Wine and Music Festival is a rare opportunity to introduce our local music talent and vineyards to a broader audience. Terrapin Station Winery tweeted “Rockville Uncorked is in the bag and what a day! This is our third year, and we thought we could predict the wine we needed but we sold out of three wines today.” If Terrapin Station is any indication, the outcome was prosperous for all.

Colleen McQuitty, Rockville’s special event manager, had many people tell her how much they enjoyed the local musicians and Maryland wines. She described it as “A good crowd having a good time.”

As Ernest Hemingway said “ Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.” Uncorked certainly is our proof.

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