Triple Creek Winery
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Triple Creek Winery is located Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The winery is in the farmland of Cordova, near Easton, Maryland. The tasting room and vineyards are just a few miles from Route 50. Visitors to the winery will discover the tasting room in a renovated machine shed located close to vineyards, some of which were planted 30 years ago. Alex Spies and his wife Terri have noted that they are one of the few wineries on the Eastern Shore that is producing dry wines.
We met Alex, one of four brothers including Taylor, Paul and Corey Spies, who had put hard work and time into establishing the vineyards and tasting room. Taylor, Paul and Corey eventually left to pursue other career options. Today in 2020, Alex and his wife Terri are the sole proprietors of the Triple Creek Winery. Terri is also the tasting room manager. Alex and Terri are a team working together in the vineyards and producing the wines.
Alex explained the name Triple Creek. The farm drains into three creaks including the Choptank.
Originally, the Spies dreamed of starting a winery. The Spies family has been involved in agriculture for five generations. Establishing the vineyard and winery was a way to bring the brothers and their families to return to the farm.
Alex (pictured left) commented that his family has been farming for five generations. The farm property consists of 65 acres. Previous generations had farmed small grains and beef cattle. His grandfather grew several acres of tomatoes and Alex remembers disliking the harvesting of the tomatoes. The farm also had several large, commercial greenhouse and was growing English cucumbers for Whole Foods. Dividing his time between the greenhouses, vineyard and winery became difficult. After talking with Terri, they decided to sell the commercial greenhouses and focus on the vineyards and winery.
Vineyards
The vineyards of eight acres has Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc and Pinot Gris. The original vineyards were planted 28 years ago and are considered to be some of the oldest vineyards in production on the Eastern Shore. Alex also obtains grapes from a Churchill vineyard.
The tasting room opened in 2015 after the Spies renovated it from a former machine shop. The interior and exterior kept its welcoming and rustic nature. During the winter a warm wood stove offers a lovely warmth for visitors including a rocking chair near the stove. A variety of old hand tools add to the rustic ambiance of the room. Another wall has aging iron frying pans. Tables and chairs are available for visitors to relax and enjoy a glass of wine.
Terri and Alex enjoy talking with the visitors to the tasting room. Travelers reciprocate the warm feelings of talking with the growers and winemakers.
The Triple Creek wines are produced in Baltimore. Currently the winery is producing 800 cases per year. The wine bottle labels are designed by a high school friend of Alex’s.
Triple Creek Wines
While visiting with Alex we tasted five of the wines available in the Triple Creek Winery. The back labels on the wine bottles say, “Triple Creek Winery, a venture of four brothers, continues the tradition of five generations of full-time family farmers. Nestled in the center of three watersheds on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the vineyard flourishes near the land their great-great grandfather plowed years ago. Triple Creek Winery is what the Eastern Shore is all about: family, water, dogs and living off the land. We’re just adding the wine.”
Chardonnay 2016 had 12.5% alcohol. The wine was a light gold color. The aroma was of caramel and apple. The taste also included caramel and apple with a bit of citrus. The finish was crisp with fruit yielding to caramel. There was a long caramel aftertaste.
Clovelly Chardonnay 2015 had 13% alcohol. The wine, with a yellow color, offered an aroma of apple. The taste had apple and citrus notes. The finish was crisp and refreshing.
Chambourcin 2016 had 12.5% alcohol. The wine was a translucent dark ruby color. The wine had an aroma of red cherries. The taste also had red cherry notes with a hint of leather. The wine was medium bodied with medium tannins. The finish was a blend of cherries and leather.
No Bull Red 2016 had 12.6% alcohol. The wine was a translucent ruby color. The wine was produced with a Merlot and Chambourcin base. The aroma was of red and black fruits. The taste offered notes of red cherries, black raspberries, leather and spices. The wine was medium to full bodied with medium tannins. The finish began with fruit and yielded to spices.
Chesapeake Reserve 2016 had 12.5% alcohol. This wine was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Grapes for this wine were harvested from 30-year-old vines. The wine was a translucent ruby color. The wine had an aroma of dark fruits. The taste included notes of blackberries, black cherries, leather and spices. This wine was full bodied with medium/bold tannins. The finish was fruity and spicy.
Events and Causes
The largest event for the winery is the summer Chesapeake Bay Balloon Festival. Thousands of visitors attend the festival and in 2019, Triple Creek sold out of their own wines. A variety of vendors also participate including charities. Triple Creek also supports several charities/non-profits. The winery supports the revival of the Chesapeake Bay. The winery’s most recent charity work is collecting gently used books for the Maryland Book Bank that is hosted by Delmarva Power.
Watch the winery’s website for continued updates including details of the Chesapeake Bay Balloon Festival. If you are visiting the Eastern Shore, and looking for dry wines be sure to stop by Triple Creek Winery.
Triple Creek Winery
11138 Three Bridge Branch Rd.
Cordova, Maryland
GPS: N38º 51.2482’ W76º 01.0154’
Article written January 2020.
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