Thanksgiving Farm Wines
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: The Thanksgiving Farm winery experience is one that visitors will remember. The boutique tasting room is enhanced with dark mahogany and cherry wood décor and offers a delightful experience. Wines are all estate grown. The tasting room is open on Sundays.
Arriving at the long driveway leading to Thanksgiving Farm, visitors will see large farm buildings and farming equipment. Continue on the stone driveway for 0.3 miles, past the farm buildings. The driveway becomes tree shaded followed by views of vineyards and soon you will have reached the tasting room and winery. Outside of the tasting room, an area is set aside with tables and umbrellas.
Thanksgiving Farm Tasting Room
The tasting room provides a delightful ambiance. Walls of dark mahogany, windows framed with mahogany and the tasting counter of cherry add a special touch to the wine tasting experience. The tasting room setting is one of elegance with a historical flair. Several bar stools are provided with a small table for seating two nearby. Large windows view barrels and stainless steel tanks. The small tasting room filled up quickly during our visit. It was a congenial group of wine enthusiasts who were interested in the wines and the Thanksgiving Farm story. One couple, Tim and Pudy Palmer were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary by visiting wineries.
History
The farm, about 58 acres, was once part of a larger area of 332 acres called Richland. In 1954, 58 acres were sold to the Taliaferro family, who named the parcel Thanksgiving Farm. Doug and Maureen Heimbuch bought the 58-acre farm in 1996.
Today Doug and Maureen are the friendly owners and Doug is the winemaker. Doug became interested in winegrowing and home winemaking when he did doctoral work in New York States’ Finger Lakes region. He visited U-pick vineyards, harvested grapes and made wine. He smiles when he remembers the resulting homemade wine was not very good. After discovering large wild grapes growing on the farm, the Heimbuchs thought, “Grapes do grow here.” Beginning as a hobby, they planted a few white grapes and then decided to plant all red varieties.
Vineyards
The nine acres of vineyards at Thanksgiving Farm consist of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. These varieties thrive in the sandy, loam soil. An eight-foot fence protects the vines from hungry deer.
Wines (Updated August 2021)
We revisited the winery during August of 2021 and tasted six wines. The winery has two labels for its wines. The Thanksgiving Farm label includes wines made with estate grown grapes. The Towhee label includes a wine made with sourced grapes. A towhee is a bird that has been seen on the property. Since our updated tasting took place during the time of the pandemic, we shared the 6-Pack that included six samples of wines each in a sealed 5 oz bottle. The tasting was extremely well organized. We sat at a table on the veranda of the house overlooking a nicely landscaped setting with vineyards in the distance. Five of the wines in our 6-pack were the Thanksgiving Farm label while one of the wines had the Towhee label.
Our tasting began with the 2019 Franc Blanc. This white wine was made entirely of estate grown Cabernet Franc grapes. The wine is an example of a “blanc de noir” or a white wine made from red grapes. The wine had a yellow color with a slight light green hue. Yellow stone fruits were on the aroma. The taste included nectarines, plums and mineral. The fruity finish yielded to mineral on the aftertaste.
The 2020 Towhee White Meritage was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The grape juices for this wine were sourced from Chile and South Africa. The wine with its yellow color had lemongrass and tropical fruit notes on its aroma. The taste was reminiscent of lemons, mangos and melons. The finish was fruity with a bit of mineral on the aftertaste.
The 2014 Farmhouse Red was a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc estate grown grapes. The wine had a translucent ruby color with a sienna hue. The wine was aged for 12 months in used French oak barrels. Black fruits were noticed on the aroma. The taste included plums, black caps, blackberries and black cherries. The wine had a medium/full body with medium tannins. The fruity finish yielded to faint oak notes on the aftertaste.
We tasted two Meritage blends from 2014 and 2015. The 2014 Meritage was a blend of estate grown Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The wine was aged 12 months in used French oak barrels. The wine had a translucent dark ruby color with a sienna hue. The aroma offered black fruits while the taste reminded us of blackberries, cassis, black raspberries and black cherries. The full-bodied wine had medium tannins. The very fruity finish had a hint of oak.
The 2015 Meritage was a blend of estate fruits including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine also had a translucent dark ruby color with a sienna hue. Black fruits adorned the aroma. The taste included black cherries, blackberries, and black plums. The finish was fruity with some oaky notes.
The Dessert Wine was fortified with an alcohol of 19% and had 70 g/L of residual sugar. The wine was made entirely of estate grown Petit Verdot. The wine had a translucent dark ruby color. Dried black fruits and alcohol were noticed on the aroma. The taste included dried blackberries, dried plums and raisins. The wine was full bodied and had medium tannins. Even with 70 g/L of residual sugar and 19% alcohol, the wine did not appear very sweet. We did not taste any alcohol burn on this wine. Pair it with brownies or a rocking chair on a porch or in front of a fire on a cold winter’s day. Remember to get up slowly.
Wine Tourism (Updated August 2021)
During the pandemic, Doug and Maureen Heimbuch, transitioned from the previous wine tastings to a safer, socially distanced outside tasting. At the time of our visit, only two people were allowed inside the tasting room and masks were required. Visitors to the winery may purchase wine by the bottle or a delightful 6-pack of 5-ounce bottles. Up to four people may split the six pack and people may take home leftover wine. Wine enthusiasts, may enjoy the wine at tables with umbrellas, close to the tasting room, or walk to the historic house and enjoy the wine on the wrap-around veranda. The veranda offers views of the vineyards. All seatings are for two hours each, from Noon to 2:00 PM or 3:00 to 5:00 PM. The one hour between seatings is for the staff to sanitize the tables and chairs. Reservations are encouraged.
We met Maureen in the tasting room, which also had two friendly and smiling assistants. The only change to the tasting room since our last visit was the addition of a plexiglass pane between a portion of the tasting counter and the rest of the room.
Maureen offered us a six-pack of 5-ounce wines bottles and then guided us to a seating area on the veranda. The day was lovely. While enjoying the views of a vineyard, we saw a bird of prey slowly flying over the vineyard, likely in search of a vole or bird. Near the veranda, the Heimbuchs planted a small, fenced in butterfly bush garden. The numerous butterflies appeared to enjoy flitting about the blossoms.
Be sure to visit Thanksgiving Farm Winery and Vineyard, a small boutique winery with a delightful, friendly welcome. Plan to spend an hour or two enjoying the quiet, views and wines.
For more information
Thanksgiving Farm Wines
195 Harwood Road
Harwood, Maryland 20776
GPS: N38º 52.233’ W76º 37.956’
Article updated August 2021.
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