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The spread at Running Hare Vineyard in Prince Frederick, Maryland
The spread at Running Hare Vineyard in Prince Frederick, Maryland
Running Hare Vineyard/Facebook

Sample From Southern Maryland’s Rising Crop of Wineries, Breweries, and Distilleries

Old barns and converted tobacco farms offer tastes of rosé, craft beers, whiskey, moonshine, and rum

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The spread at Running Hare Vineyard in Prince Frederick, Maryland
| Running Hare Vineyard/Facebook

Over the past two decades, Southern Maryland towns like Waldorf, Leonardtown, and Prince Frederick have grown from occasional getaways for the D.C. crowd to suburbs full of commuters. An area once known for farming, crab shacks, and country drawls is now home to chain restaurants and a rising community of alcohol producers. Wineries have replaced tobacco farms. Old barns have turned into tasting rooms for brewers and distillers. This map offers a guide to drinking in the area. Food is available at most venues, so customers won’t need to hit up roadside barbecue or seafood stands unless they’re looking to satisfy a particular craving.

The latest CDC guidance for vaccinated diners during the COVID-19 outbreak is here; dining out still carries risks for unvaccinated diners and workers. Please be aware of changing local rules, and check individual restaurant websites for any additional restrictions such as mask requirements. Find a local vaccination site here.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Fridays Creek Winery

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This winery with nearly 10,000 vines scattered alongside the Patuxent River has a tasting room that once housed tobacco and cows. The owners focus on grapes like Chardonel and Chambourcin. Seasonal wines that incorporate blackberries and blueberries grown among the vines are quick sellers. 

The tasting room at Fridays Creek Winery
The tasting room at Fridays Creek Winery
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Robin Hill Farm and Vineyards

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The Robin Hill plot has been a farm since 1829, and owner Susan Watson-White’s family has been working it since 1955. As part of a settlement funded by the state, the owners stopped growing that cash crop and used the government funds to turn their attention to grapes. Watson-White, a “Miss Maryland Tobacco Queen” in 1985, serves wines that have won more than 50 medals in various competitions in the past few years, including an award for Maryland Winery of the Year in 2019 in the New York International Wine Competition. Before taking a seat on the tasting room’s expansive porch, ask to see the bottling room and kegs of rare port. Then try the Pi’Goat Blanc, a sweet rosé with hints of strawberries and cherries.

BlueDyer Distilling Co.

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Co-founder Ryan Vierheller’s family counts seven generations of hooch-making history, including Prohibition-era bootleggers in Stafford County, Virginia. Today BlueDyer makes gold and dark rum, bourbon and rye whiskey, gin, and gluten-free sugar cane vodka. High char oak barrels provide an oak and wood flavor to the signature gold rum. The distillery gives tours from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdsay through Friday, and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Port barrel whiskey from BlueDyer Distilling Co.
Port barrel whiskey from BlueDyer Distilling Co.
BlueDyer Distilling/Facebook

Patuxent Brewing Company

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Founder Davie Feaster opened this nano-brewery in a Waldorf industrial park in 2019. The 301 Pale Ale is a local favorite, and visitors can also expect to find plenty of IPAs. The pub atmosphere has become popular through karaoke, game nights, and even magic shows.

Patuxent Brewing Company founder Davie Feaster
Patuxent Brewing Company founder Davie Feaster
Patuxent Brewing Company/Facebook

Mully's Brewery

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Cindy and Jason Mullikin founded this craft brewery that cans every 500-gallon batch of beer. There are more than a dozen taps, too, with bar stools offering a view of the brewers at work. All-year options include a blood orange blonde ale and a hazy IPA. Heat-seekers should try a small-batch habanero stout.

Outside seating at Mully’s
Outside seating at Mully’s
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Running Hare Vineyard

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A Tuscan-style mansion looks over former tobacco fields that span 291 acres of vines. Chambourcin aged in oak barrels is a popular dessert wine, and wine slushies are perfect on a hot day. An adjacent Southern Maryland Biergarten .

The Southern Maryland Biergarten is attached to Running Hare Vineyard
The Southern Maryland Biergarten is attached to Running Hare Vineyard
Running Hare Vineyard [official]

Southern Trail Distillery

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This multi-generation family business makes moonshine in flavors like pineapple, peppermint, and salted caramel, along with lines of whiskey, vodka, and rum. Cocktails, food, bottle sales, and tastings are all available Friday through Sunday.

Southern Trail Distillery’s pineapple moonshine
Southern Trail Distillery’s pineapple moonshine
Southern Trail Distillery [official]

Tobacco Barn Distillery

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Tobacco Barn Distillery manages 17 acres of corn that goes into its whiskeys and bourbons, and nearby farms send ingredients for rums. Even the distillery’s electricity is hyperlocal, drawn from solar panels and a geothermal system on the property. After three years of aging, select barrels of Tobacco Barn’s rum are sent aboard the historic U.S.S. Constellation in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, picking up flavor from fluctuating temperatures and gentle rocking on the water. The facility makes sure to point out a history of whiskey distilling in Southern Maryland that predates Kentucky and Virginia. Basil Hayden, Sr., the “Old-Grand” himself, was part of the Catholic community in St. Mary’s County before settling in Kentucky.

Tobacco Barn Distillery makes bourbon from its own corn.
Tobacco Barn Distillery makes bourbon from its own corn.
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Tap House 1637

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Owner Sahil “Sunny” Malhotra boasts 26 taps and a selection of 100 beers at this California, Maryland, bar. IPAs, lagers, and brown ales include many small releases from across the U.S., including What Maryland Does, an imperial IPA from True Respite Brewing Company in Derwood, Maryland. A comprehensive martini list has a popular pineapple upside down cake flavor. A broad food menu lists crab dip, fried pickled tacos, grilled mahi mahi, and lamb quesadillas. The 1637 in the name refers to the year St. Mary’s County was established.  

The bar at Taphouse 1637
Taphouse 1637 has 26 draft lines
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Port of Leonardtown Winery

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Known for its rosé, Port of Leonardtown is an annual leader in Maryland Governor’s Cup competitions. Winemaker Lauren Zimmerman incorporates grapes from a cooperative of 12 vineyards across Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s counties. POL also regularly hosts karaoke nights and food trucks.

The tasting room at Port of Leonardtown
The tasting room at Port of Leonardtown
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Brüdergarten

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IPAs, hard ciders, and wines from across the Mid-Atlantic fill out the bar at this beer garden in Shepherd’s Old Field Market. Brüdergarten’s food menu offers oysters, club sandwiches, and a large pretzel bigger than those served at many professional ballparks. Order one while competing in weekly trivia and karaoke nights at the indoor-outdoor venue. 

The bar at Brüdergarten
The bar at Brüdergarten
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Fridays Creek Winery

This winery with nearly 10,000 vines scattered alongside the Patuxent River has a tasting room that once housed tobacco and cows. The owners focus on grapes like Chardonel and Chambourcin. Seasonal wines that incorporate blackberries and blueberries grown among the vines are quick sellers. 

The tasting room at Fridays Creek Winery
The tasting room at Fridays Creek Winery
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Robin Hill Farm and Vineyards

The Robin Hill plot has been a farm since 1829, and owner Susan Watson-White’s family has been working it since 1955. As part of a settlement funded by the state, the owners stopped growing that cash crop and used the government funds to turn their attention to grapes. Watson-White, a “Miss Maryland Tobacco Queen” in 1985, serves wines that have won more than 50 medals in various competitions in the past few years, including an award for Maryland Winery of the Year in 2019 in the New York International Wine Competition. Before taking a seat on the tasting room’s expansive porch, ask to see the bottling room and kegs of rare port. Then try the Pi’Goat Blanc, a sweet rosé with hints of strawberries and cherries.

BlueDyer Distilling Co.

Co-founder Ryan Vierheller’s family counts seven generations of hooch-making history, including Prohibition-era bootleggers in Stafford County, Virginia. Today BlueDyer makes gold and dark rum, bourbon and rye whiskey, gin, and gluten-free sugar cane vodka. High char oak barrels provide an oak and wood flavor to the signature gold rum. The distillery gives tours from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdsay through Friday, and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Port barrel whiskey from BlueDyer Distilling Co.
Port barrel whiskey from BlueDyer Distilling Co.
BlueDyer Distilling/Facebook

Patuxent Brewing Company

Founder Davie Feaster opened this nano-brewery in a Waldorf industrial park in 2019. The 301 Pale Ale is a local favorite, and visitors can also expect to find plenty of IPAs. The pub atmosphere has become popular through karaoke, game nights, and even magic shows.

Patuxent Brewing Company founder Davie Feaster
Patuxent Brewing Company founder Davie Feaster
Patuxent Brewing Company/Facebook

Mully's Brewery

Cindy and Jason Mullikin founded this craft brewery that cans every 500-gallon batch of beer. There are more than a dozen taps, too, with bar stools offering a view of the brewers at work. All-year options include a blood orange blonde ale and a hazy IPA. Heat-seekers should try a small-batch habanero stout.

Outside seating at Mully’s
Outside seating at Mully’s
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Running Hare Vineyard

A Tuscan-style mansion looks over former tobacco fields that span 291 acres of vines. Chambourcin aged in oak barrels is a popular dessert wine, and wine slushies are perfect on a hot day. An adjacent Southern Maryland Biergarten .

The Southern Maryland Biergarten is attached to Running Hare Vineyard
The Southern Maryland Biergarten is attached to Running Hare Vineyard
Running Hare Vineyard [official]

Southern Trail Distillery

This multi-generation family business makes moonshine in flavors like pineapple, peppermint, and salted caramel, along with lines of whiskey, vodka, and rum. Cocktails, food, bottle sales, and tastings are all available Friday through Sunday.

Southern Trail Distillery’s pineapple moonshine
Southern Trail Distillery’s pineapple moonshine
Southern Trail Distillery [official]

Tobacco Barn Distillery

Tobacco Barn Distillery manages 17 acres of corn that goes into its whiskeys and bourbons, and nearby farms send ingredients for rums. Even the distillery’s electricity is hyperlocal, drawn from solar panels and a geothermal system on the property. After three years of aging, select barrels of Tobacco Barn’s rum are sent aboard the historic U.S.S. Constellation in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, picking up flavor from fluctuating temperatures and gentle rocking on the water. The facility makes sure to point out a history of whiskey distilling in Southern Maryland that predates Kentucky and Virginia. Basil Hayden, Sr., the “Old-Grand” himself, was part of the Catholic community in St. Mary’s County before settling in Kentucky.

Tobacco Barn Distillery makes bourbon from its own corn.
Tobacco Barn Distillery makes bourbon from its own corn.
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Tap House 1637

Owner Sahil “Sunny” Malhotra boasts 26 taps and a selection of 100 beers at this California, Maryland, bar. IPAs, lagers, and brown ales include many small releases from across the U.S., including What Maryland Does, an imperial IPA from True Respite Brewing Company in Derwood, Maryland. A comprehensive martini list has a popular pineapple upside down cake flavor. A broad food menu lists crab dip, fried pickled tacos, grilled mahi mahi, and lamb quesadillas. The 1637 in the name refers to the year St. Mary’s County was established.  

The bar at Taphouse 1637
Taphouse 1637 has 26 draft lines
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Port of Leonardtown Winery

Known for its rosé, Port of Leonardtown is an annual leader in Maryland Governor’s Cup competitions. Winemaker Lauren Zimmerman incorporates grapes from a cooperative of 12 vineyards across Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s counties. POL also regularly hosts karaoke nights and food trucks.

The tasting room at Port of Leonardtown
The tasting room at Port of Leonardtown
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

Brüdergarten

IPAs, hard ciders, and wines from across the Mid-Atlantic fill out the bar at this beer garden in Shepherd’s Old Field Market. Brüdergarten’s food menu offers oysters, club sandwiches, and a large pretzel bigger than those served at many professional ballparks. Order one while competing in weekly trivia and karaoke nights at the indoor-outdoor venue. 

The bar at Brüdergarten
The bar at Brüdergarten
Lisa Snider/For Eater D.C.

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