Enjoy a day in the country at Calvert County’s 11th annual Farm Tour, held at Running Hare Vineyard in Prince Frederick, Sunday, Oct. 19 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Those wishing to enjoy abundant fresh air, sunshine and the great Calvert outdoors should head to the vineyard, located at 150 Adelina Road.

Running Hare Vineyard is a 300-acre vineyard in the heart of Southern Maryland’s wine country.  The first vines were planted in 2002 and wines are now being bottled for sale. On the Southern Maryland farm, rolling landscapes, sandy soil and hot dry summers are much like those found in the Tuscany region of Italy.

Running Hare Vineyard’s on-site production building is dominated by large stainless steel tanks used to ferment the wine. Certain varieties are then transferred to oak barrels for aging before being bottled and labeled. It is a labor of love that owner Mike Scarborough first discovered while living in France as a child. As a vintner, he is largely self-taught, and as a viticulturist, he revels in the hands-on care required to tend the vines.

“We entered our six lines of wine in the recent Maryland Wine competition and five of our six won medals,” said Mike Scarborough, owner of Running Hare Vineyard. Scarborough went on to state that they grow four varieties of grapes on the farm: Cayuga, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc.

Scarborough is also crafting three other varieties from imported juice, including the hearty red Malbec. “We can produce about 1,000 gallons from our own grapes,” said Scarborough. “We’ll make about 10,000 to 12,000 gallons a year here and we’ll buy the grapes we need.”

As host of this year’s Farm Tour, the proprietors of Running Hare Vineyard will be on hand to help visitors enjoy a number of free activities highlighting Calvert County’s rich agrarian history including: entertainment, farm animals and petting zoo, wine tastings, horse-drawn wagon rides, various exhibits and wine-making demonstrations. There will also be great pony rides for the kids

To find Running Hare Vineyard, take State Route 4 west and turn onto Route 231, Hallowing Point Road. Turn left onto Adelina Road and proceed 300 yards. Turn left into the vineyard and look for the Farm Tour sign on the left.

The annual Calvert County Farm Tour is coordinated by the Calvert County Department of Economic Development and the Calvert County Agriculture Commission. The Agriculture Commission conducts the Farm Tour to educate Calvert residents about farming and to provide the public with an opportunity to interact with the farming community.

For more information or to receive a brochure online, visit www.calvertag.com, or contact the Calvert County, Maryland, Department of Economic Development at (410) 535-4583, (800) 331-9771 or (301) 855-1880, via e-mail at info@ecalvert.com, or on the Web at www.ecalvert.com.

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