black ankle vineyards

We love this facility. It is fairly new(10 yrs. old). The atmosphere is great- it reminds me of a Napa Valley winery. The view is of rolling fields. It's a little hard to find if you don't have Gps. Every Friday night in good weather they have a concert of local artists. Of course they have tastings as well as snack items. You can bring your own picnic as well. I am not crazy about Maryland wines though.

I have been to over 150 wineries in 9 states, including Maryland. The best thing this winery has going for it is the tasting room. Easily the best of the 7 wineries I have been to in Maryland. But the wine is average at best. I understand and appreciate its estate grown, but just an initial flavor and nothing afterward. I also understand that wine is all about what you like, but the best tasting wine/port was the Terra Dulce IV. And for $45 a bottle, which I did buy out of sympathy, it was not a winery that is going to warrant a return trip.

They don't call it Maryland for nothing, things are a little extra Merry around here. The Estate Vineyard(they grow all of their own grapes on site) is impressive and while a tasting ran $10, the bottles were quite a bit above my typical range. I enjoyed a couple of the wines, the grounds and tasting room were spectacular. I was surprised how many children were playing outside... But it was a beautiful day, so I am sure the parents enjoyed themselves. If I was just going to one vineyard for the day, this would be a great one to bring a lunch, buy a bottle and make a day of it.

Great views and venue and wine to boot. I can't believe it took me so long to find this place when it's only 15 mins from my house! It's not too easy to find but the adventure is well worth it!

Easy drive from DC / Baltimore area, yet worlds away. Wine country casual, super tasting room staff and best of all - seriously good wine. Their tasting room was busy, yet the staff quickly made us feel welcome. Rolling hills, views of vineyards and outdoor seating where you can enjoy a glass or bottle along with local cheese and picnic goodies after tasting make this a great way to spend the afternoon!

A group of us (and our young babies) all met here for a wonderful Sunday afternoon. The grounds are beautiful and you feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere. We brought a picnic and set-up on tables under the awning. We bought a couple bottles of wine and the next few hours were delightful. The wine was the best Maryland wine I have ever had. It was pricey for the area, but it was worth it. We really enjoyed Rolling Hills. Very casual, laid back atmosphere and very busy! We can't wait to return. They are not excepting wine club member until next year, so they definitely have for demand than supply!

I almost wanted to title my review "Don't go!" because we love Black Ankle and don't want it to become too popular and overcrowded. The wines are excellent (yes, Maryland wines!) and the views from the tasting room and picnic area are lovely. Admittedly they're not the grander views one would find in nearby Virginia, but it's still beautiful. The staff is super friendly, and we always feel very welcome when we visit. I wish they didn't allow children (there is ample room for children to run around and too often the parents are so busy enjoying themselves drinking wine that they allow their children to run around and scream) but we try to tune them out as best we can. You can also bring your own picnic goods or order cheese and warm baguettes at the tasting room. Black Ankle is definitely worth a visit, and I'll bet you'll be surprised at how good Maryland wines can be!

Hands down favorite local Maryland wine. We are wine members and look forward to going ever quarter and tasting the new wines. Great faci;ity indoors and outdoors. Great for a sunny day to sit outside and enjoyr their wine and cheeses. We also bring our own food and make a day out of it. Staff is very friendly.

We love this winery because they have good wine, a lovely spot in the country, a fantastic green building philosophy, live music on Friday evenings (Damon Foreman is great). Great picnic spot. But, we are used to bringing our well behaved doggie to wineries. Alas, they are not dog friendly. So we may go somewhere else. Or maybe we will not. ?

Today we spent another glorious day at Black Ankle Vineyards. Maryland is not known for quality wine, but Black Ankle will change that. If you're a wine lover and traveling to Maryland, you absolutely must visit Black Ankle. They've proven that you can indeed produce good wine in this state. The owners and their team are devoted to full and proper use of the property -- go to their website and look at how they constructed their tasting room from local/natural materials. It's a thing of beauty. The setting at the winery is absolutely bucolic. You can watch the cows graze on the farm as you sip the fruits of vine. Also, they are working with some great grape varietals that you don't normally see in this part of the country or world -- Albarino and Gruner Veltliner are two examples. A perfect visit starts with a tasting and then moves to a picnic on the grounds or by the fire inside during cooler months. They have hot, fresh baked bread and a variety of cheeses for you to have with your wine. However, we enjoy packing a light picnic of cheese, sausage and olives, and just buying the fresh bread there. You can buy wine by the bottle or the glass to go with your picnic.Down sides -- the wine is expensive and hard to come by. Prices range from roughly $24 - $52 per bottle. They are a very low yield vineyard, so what they produce is precious and much sought after by their faithful admirers. Some of their "rarest" wines are set aside for wine club members only. It is not unusual for them to sell out of their small yield wines very quickly. They have planted more vines, so this issue may be soon resolved. In the meantime, you may want to call before your visit and see what they are pouring.

Visited a number of Frederick County wineries on a beautiful spring Saturday afternoon. Black Ankle is heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of facility and wine. They have a beautiful tasting room and far and away the best product we tasted that day. But the feeling we got from the tasting room staff was that they were going through the motions. They're knowledgable to be sure, but the smiles are forced and the lines rehearsed. Not quite pretentious, but by no means genuine. Whereas the staff at the smaller wineries we visited that day were engaging, the Black Ankle folks simply were not. I wouldn't miss this winery since the product is so good, but the staff does not live up to the quality of the wine.

Three cheers for the amazing wines! The staff was very friendly & knowledgeable. The location is breathtaking. Highly recommend their Rolling Hills!

I wanted to convince my laid-back, wine-loving 88 year old father-in-law that wineries are fun. He was very reluctant (think Clint Eastwood in Grand Torino). I emailed Black Ankle in advance to let them know we were coming. Karen and Kelly greeted us like old friends upon arrival. "Clint" and I bought some goat cheese onsite (local) for the baguette we brought along ("Clint" baked it!) By the third wine sample, he was recounting old wine-related WWII stories. By the fifth (and last) sample, "Clint" was saying Black Ankle is fantastic. Priceless. We purchased a bottle of Rolling Hills to share with my husband over the weekend. Delicious wines! Beautiful locale.

Visited from New Zealand we spent an evening listening to a solo performer that would not be out of place on the larger stages of the world Being a consumer of very good reds I found the the offering to be interesting and quite refreshing.Will definitely visit again if I am ever in that part of the world.

My wife and I stopped in while exploring the Frederick Winetrail. What a treat. We usually don't go for reds, but these were excellent. These wines might just make us converts. A beautiful setting as well. Staff was helpful and knowledgeable. We will return.