Great Frogs Winery: A Visit

Great Frogs

3218 Harness Creek Rd, Annapolis, MD | greatfrogs.com

EXPERIENCE

Many Maryland wineries are simple driveways without much fanfare. Grand entrances aren’t something to be expected from a farm winery. However, at Great Frogs, that image does exist! Now, it may not be similar to the entrances of one of the famous French chateaux, but it creates an inviting, farm-style Maryland welcome. Upon arrival, you’re greeted at the drive by a restored old pickup truck sitting right next to a beautiful red gate, open and welcoming visitors to enter. As you proceed toward the parking lot, you’re ushered down a smooth, paved blacktop drive, lined with vines on both sides. In no time, you’re in the parking lot, excited because the tasting barn overflows with desirable areas to enjoy oneself.

The campus has developed well since its opening. There are two event buildings and a third that is solely the restroom. The original barn, formerly a tobacco barn, has been remodeled into a very nice place to enjoy a bottle or glass of wine. However, it's their outdoor areas that make the location one that begs returning to. Multiple outdoor patios speckled with tables and umbrellas make it feel like it's a prime spot for summer activities. They didn't have anything going on the day we came, but their social media appears to communicate when they have musicians and food vendors.

My wife and I ordered a tasting flight that day: three reds, three whites. It came as a packaged deal (see image). I really like the convenience (it's only too bad they don't recycle the containers after you're done). Two of the white wines in the package were barrel aged, so having a temperature similar to the red wines wasn't really an issue (additionally, being plastic bottles allows for the red wines to warm up to room temperature by the time you’re done tasting the white wines).

All tastings are self-guided. Upon purchase, we were invited to go to a welcome video on their website telling us more about the winery; it was informative and well-produced. As of the writing of this, looking through their website/social media, there aren't any events catered to wine enthusiasts. I’m guessing that around harvest, their wine club members might be given the opportunity to be a part of the winemaking. I don’t know that for sure, so don’t quote me. But even looking into their club events in the beginning of September, there wasn’t anything scheduled.

THE VINEYARD

The onsite vineyard is on land that has been farmed since the late 1600s. Originally planted with tobacco, in 1999, Traminette, Marsanne, and Viognier vines were planted. In 2010, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Syrah were planted, bringing the total acreage planted up to 10. In the beginning, the vineyard was exclusively a supplier of fruit to other wineries. It wasn’t until 2010 that the Great Frogs Winery was opened. Since then, they have also planted Pinot Grigio and Grenache.

The vineyard on the winery grounds is on well-draining soils that are 83% sand, 11% silt, and 6% clay. The land is relatively flat, so the high amounts of sand really seem important in the fight against vigor. I can’t imagine how much more work it would be if it weren’t well-drained. They have an additional 11+ acres of vines planted somewhere in Easton. Complimenting their estate grapes, I was told they also source high quality red grapes from the Frederick area.

Nathanael and Andrea O’Shea, winemakers and owners, advertise that everything in the vineyards is done by hand. Each plant is pruned, trained, hedged, and harvested by hand. This makes sense, as mechanical equipment for those jobs is a costly investment. I really like the feeling that the winemaker knows every vine personally.

WINES

TL;DR

The wines were of good quality. You can tell the winemakers know what they are doing and have good fruit to work with. The winemakers come across as trying to make interesting wines, using techniques to create wines that might only be found at Great Frogs. They make a range of white and red wines along with a few dessert wine options. If I were to say one thing that was missing on that day, it would be that there were no real crisp (high acid), dry white wines.

Wine Tech Specs

There really wasn’t much information about their wines available outside of the labels. About half of the wines on their web shop provide information about that wine, I’ll get to that later. However, there is some information that is useful on their about page, as well as can be found in older interviews.

Their website indicates that all the harvesting is done at night. Nighttime temperatures help to retain as much quality as possible. In addition to making kinder working conditions during the heat of harvest, nighttime harvesting also concentrates aromas and flavors as well as keeps sugar levels more stable (reduced respiration). It helps with controlling fermentation and reduces oxidation.

According to a recent interview, they use both French and Hungarian oak to age their wines, using them no longer than four years before they get rid of them.

The tasting flight we had is as follows:

Vintner’s Labor of Love White 75% Sauvignon Blanc/25% Chardonnay. Stainless Steel fermentation. Don’t expect traditional Sauvignon Blanc flavors--Maryland Sauvignon Blancs can’t do that as well. It’s rare that I’ve had a Maryland-grown Sauvignon Blanc that shows traditional flavors. This was the crispest white wine in the flight. The flavors were of just-ripe orchard fruit with a little bit of florality.

Summit Chardonnay 100% Chardonnay. Aged 8 months in oak. Of the two chardonnays, this one had the crisper acidity. I would still describe it as medium acid and kind of round, but more malo than lactic, if you know what I mean. The fruit was ripe, sweet smelling. Combined with the vanilla from the oak, this is more along the lines of a California chardonnay without all the butter.

2021 Estate Chardonnay 100% Chardonnay. Aged 12 months in oak. To piggyback on the previous wine’s notes, this chardonnay was the creamier tasting of the two. I would still describe the acidity as medium, but with the extended time in oak, that malolactic fermentation had more time to create a rounder experience. Much like the last wine, this too is along the lines of a California chardonnay without the butter. I don’t know if the Summit Chardonnay is the same year, or the same vineyard, but this wine tells me the grapes were riper when they were picked. Even Great Frogs describes flavors of grilled pineapple and butterscotch.

Home Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot blend. The Cabernet Franc really stands out in this wine, and that’s not a bad thing. Black Cherry and earth. The Cabernet Franc vegetal character that is iconic to Maryland is somewhat subdued. If it is from estate grown grapes (and I don’t have reason to believe it isn’t), I would guess that the Chesapeake Bay's influence on the region keeps the overnight temperatures warm enough to allow for more of the green notes to leave. It’s a good quality wine.

Cold Blooded Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Flavors of tart cherry, cranberry, vanilla, and that pepper spice that can come from Syrah. Medium tannin. Medium acid. Medium acid.

All Hands On Deck Fortified red blend, made in the Port-style. 15.7% ABV, but doesn’t come across as hot. Dark fruit, chocolate, and baking spices show up in the aroma and palate.

2019 Powatinika Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah/Merlot/Petit Verdot/Cabernet Franc, aged in steel. I was given the opportunity to have a glass of this wine poured for me only because it was used in a tasting the night before. So my experience was with a wine that had a lot of time to develop in the bottle. This wine was really good! Flavors of chocolate, cherries, pepper, and blackberries. Medium acid and semi-grippy tannins were felt on my tongue. Lastly, it had a decently long finish.

These were my tasting experiences. They do differ from the tasting notes that are written on the tasting flight menu, but that’s ok. As we all know, temperature (wine temp and environment temp), personal experiences, previous wine/food, genetics, etc., affect us all differently. You might get the notes they call out, you might not. Either way, you’re not wrong.

Earlier I wrote that I think the winemakers seem to be trying to make wines that are unique to Great Frogs. They have two different offerings of fortified wines, along with a couple other wines that are described as having residual sugar and not fortified. Great Frogs makes a red wine that is aged in used Bourbon barrels. If another Maryland winery is doing that, I haven’t come across that information yet. And lastly, they have Chardonnays exclusively aged in oak. Searching around some of the bigger wineries in Maryland, it looks like Great Frogs keeps their Chardonnay in oak the longest. A visit here will lend you to a unique experience.