Friday's Creek

Friday’s Creek is the northern-most stop on the Patuxent Wine Trail in Maryland, which comprises the part of the state Southeast of Washington, DC.  It’s a smaller vineyard with their major operations all situated in a large red barn.  There’s not much nearby as far as sights or tourist attractions, apart from some nice parks and a few historic sites, although there are a fair number of decent restaurants nearby.  The one noteworthy nearby site is the town of North Beach.  Take the time to stop by for the boardwalk alone.  It’s a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy local restaurants and shops.

The tasting room is very classic looking, with a nice bar area and a great view of the winery operations.

The staff is very friendly and accommodating and gave us an interesting tour of the barrel room.  On the top floor is a lovely gallery of the works of local artists.  It’s a quiet place to sit and relax.

Amy: The Tasting room is also in a restored barn. That alone is an aesthetic experience worth having! I would love to create something this beautiful one day.

However, I can’t say that I was terribly impressed with their wines.  They were nice enough, but mostly unmemorable.   Only two were of any note:  the semi-sweet Patio White is a light, refreshing brand.  Amy and I bought a bottle of this and it didn’t last very long, although whether that’s a testament to how good the wine was or the fact that I have little self-control when it comes to food is a matter for some debate.  

The other one that stood out was the Plum.  This was a very tasty, wine, with just a hint of sour to offset the sweetness.  I really enjoyed this one.  Amy, not so much.  What I didn’t enjoy however was the price.  As much as I liked the Plum, I didn’t think it was worth what they were asking.

Amy: I have to disagree with my sweetie here.  I loved the ambiance of Friday’s Creek, but I found the wine to be too sugary, for the most part. If your palate leans towards the sweeter side, then this is the place for you.  Overall, I like crisp and smooth wine, so while I liked the restored barn and the experience of the place, I would not really recommend the wine. Definitely, the staff went out of their way to explain the wine-making process, and I enjoyed that aspect very much.  It’s a good place to begin the learning process and to contrast with other kinds of wine.

All in all, Friday’s creek was a perfectly pleasant place to visit.  The art gallery was an added touch and they have some truly interesting pieces there.   They also sell some nice local goods, such as an excellent honey.  And it makes a perfect first stop on the Patuxent Wine Trail.  But apart from the gallery, they don’t offer you much in the way of reasons to linger.  One of the things I like about the winery experience is hanging around and taking in the ambiance:  the smell of the air, the scenery, the feeling of what little self-contained world the winemakers are trying to create.  And while I think that Fridays Creek tries, for me at least, they just don’t hit the mark.

Wine:  4 out of 10:  Nothing earth shattering.  Decent enough.  But not anything better than the wine you would get just going to the liquor store. 

Amy: I would say 3 out 10, but I would give the local honey a 10 out of 10—Loved that!!! 

Tasting Room:  6 out of 10:  Nice setting.  Great art gallery and local goods. 

Amy: the art gallery overlooks the wine making room and would be a great place to host an event.

Location:  3 out of 10:  Pleasant farm setting.  But not much in the way of other things to see.  

Experience:  5 out of 10:  The staff is very friendly and the gallery is nice (Wow, I do seem sort of fixated on that, don’t I) but there’s just not much that sets Fridays Creek apart from the many other wineries in the area.

Why Go?  Hmmm…well, to look at the gallery I guess.  Or just as part of the experience of visiting the wine trail.  And if you like sweet wines, their Plum wine IS exceptional.  Other than that, sorry, I got nothing.

Amy: I think it’s a good place to go in order to learn about the wine-making process if you are a newbie to the wine-making world.

Let you keep the glass?  No, the glass is not included in the price of a tasting.