This past Sunday a few friends and I made the hour trek up to Fiore Winery in Pylesville, just south of the state line. The 25-year-old winery was throwing its annual “Wine, Art, and Jazz Festival.” For $17, you got a wine glass and entry onto the grounds for live music, activities, and tours of the facility.
Fiore bills its products as “Maryland wine with an Italian accent,” which makes sense as co-owner Mike Fiore used to run a vineyard in Calabria, Italy until he moved to American in 1962. He soon met his future wife, Rose, and the two of them bought a small farm in Harford County, which ended up becoming Fiore Winery.
On Sunday the tastings were free, so I got to sample a lot of Fiore’s products. Like many Italian wines, a lot of their varieties were dryer than what Americans are used to. Besides wine, Fiore also makes limonciello and grappa on the premises.
My favorite red was the Cabernet Franc, a spicy, fruity blend. I also loved the semi-sweet Vignoles white, which had a citrus flavor to it. The Vignoles was perfect to sip in the sun with friends, which is exactly what I did until clouds opened up and it started to storm.
The Fiore owners kindly moved us all into their indoor lodge while the rain came down and we listened to the extremely talented four-piece Carl Filipiak Jazz Band. The space inside seems ideal for weddings or other events, with its 360-views of the lush, green hills of Harford County.
Fiore has a few more events throughout the fall, if you want to get a taste of Italy without (almost!) leaving the state.
[Image: courtesy of me]