winery review: orchid cellars;
Orchid Cellars is actually a meadery and winery! In the interest of not having a bajillion categories, I file this under winery with Ciderworks, even though they’re a little less traditionally “winery”. They’re both perfect stops to make on the Antietam wine trail to add a little something different to your outing! This little baby here (actually not so little anymore) is actually one of the first reasons we ventured up to the Antietam Wine Trail at all. A friend grew up in the area and frequented Orchid Cellars with his mom, and he used to bring back all varying sorts of mead for our fresh-out-of-college hangouts after work.
For me, personally, I actually find meads a little cloyingly sweet. If you’re unfamiliar, mead is honey wine, so you can imagine the sweetness imbued in the liquid. They have a surprising variety, and we’ve had everything from kiwi to jalapeno flavored, and the last really left that heat at the back of your throat. This time, we actually had a chance to sample their brand new Mazer line, a combination of mead and wine. Literally released that day, so good timing on our part! For me the combination was perfect. I liked all three we tried, the red, white, and rose, and we even grabbed a bottle of the white to take home with us. The woman pouring for us was awesome and chatty and made the experience quite pleasant; she even gave us a taste that was not on the menu!
Basically if you’re headed up to the area, a definite must stop! I love the tastings, it mixes up the rest of the wine trail, and it’s a beautiful property. 5 out of 5 chips (read: stars).
Orchid Cellar Meadery & Winery
Orchid Cellar Website
8546 Pete Wiles Road
Middletown, MD 21769
