Cooking with Wine

A good-looking group of wine chefs!

Dessert station:
Joe's Cool Red spiked strawberries and cream pie!

What a great night we had on Tuesday! Chef Bonnie planned an awesome menu and I have to say we were a bit skeptical that everything could be prepared in our modest catering kitchen and event room...Fortunately she proved us wrong and brought in lots of supplies and ingredients to set up each station and prepare a gourmet meal. From poached salmon to rose marinated chicken breasts to strawberries and cream pie, the whole evening was a blast, as you can tell from the pictures. We're holding a second Cooking with Wine class on April 12th, so sign up here by April 11th to join in!

Richard and Taylor have been filtering wines all week to get them ready for bottling. Claudia and I tasted the 2010 Lazy Day White this morning and it is delicious! Next week most of us will be in Richmond for the Wineries Unlimited trade show and conference- learning and talking about all things wine, and we're bottling most of our 2010 wines on April 8th and 9th.

Bike-Kayak-Wine!

We also had a visit from Stan Shedaker, of Adrenaline High. He's going to offer bike-kayak-wine tours from Layton's Chance this summer. He brought some students by from Salisbury University to do a test ride and tasting!

The best part of working in a winery?
Tasting wines!

I can't believe March is almost over and we're going full speed into spring. Check back for more news about the View of the Vineyard event on April 16th and our Easter Egg Hunt on April 23rd. And don't forget to mark your calendars for our 1 Year Anniversary Celebration with Randy Lee Ashcraft on May 28th!

Pop's Shop Boys

As I came down the lane this morning I saw the beautiful scene of a tractor trailer in the parking lot, with William and Richard unloading 25 pallets of empty wine bottles. April 8th is coming soon and we've just about got everything ready. Bottles and capsules are here, corks will be here next week, and labels are on their way. 


We're bottling twice as much Lazy Day Rosé as last year which means that we'll have enough to sell at liquor stores and hopefully still last through next spring. The Rosé will be available shortly after bottling, however two of our dry wines- Chambourcin and Traminette- will need to sit in the bottle for a few weeks. Our Oaked Chambourcin will age 6 months before being available for sale.

Pop's Shop Boys-Garland, Richard, Taylor

The wines themselves are nearly ready too. Richard and the boys have been filtering this week- a messy task but fortunately they've got the right outfits for the job. Next is cold stabilization and a final filtering.  

Laura's been in Norfolk all week, helping her daughter relocate from Florida. We miss her in the office but I'm sure she's having fun taking care of her three little grandchildren! Fortunately Jen is at the winery full time now and it’s been great having her here!

Chris English plays
Happy Hour on 3/18

The weather has been conducive to Joe's work on the farm. All the wheat has been fertilized and is greening nicely. It's supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow so there’s another good day to work outside. 

We've had lots of visitors in the tasting room this week and we're all excited about Happy Hour tomorrow night! Barbara has doubled her recipe so we'll have PLENTY of chili for everyone. Did I mention it'll be 70 degrees? A beautiful day for music and wine on the front porch!

In like a lion...

Southside Land Management returns to
landscape the play area.

A giant windstorm earlier this month knocked our play-set clear into the woods. It blew away just as we prepared to lay the ground for a new one (MUCH sturdier!) which will be ready soon. Definitely by the time the weather brightens up and you'll be bringing the kids out to play!

John Hansen and his band, JohnE Wa2C

We had a great time at Happy Hour last Friday! JohnE Wa2C played a great show with lots of old favorites and plenty of raising glasses for his trademark "Salute!" We had one guest stand up and sing- it was beautiful! Hopefully he'll be back with friends for Karaoke on April 1st.


Our website is loaded with upcoming events- Happy Hour on March 18th with Chris English (awesome blues guitar!), and on March 22 we're hosting a cooking class at the winery where participants will learn about preparing menus around a favorite wine. Also check out the About Us segment of our website where we've added some new faces of the winery. Although you may have read about Taylor and Garland here, I've put up a little information about our two youngest workers- so have a look and say hello next time you're here!

Tundra swans flock to Vienna fields

The swans don't seem to mind the wind or the rain as they gather in large flocks on neighboring fields. Neither does the wheat that's coming up green and brightened the winter fields. All signs of Spring's eminent arrival...

Direct Shipping hearing set for March 4

The big news this week is that the Maryland General Assembly is closer than ever to passing a Direct Shipping bill, which would allow Maryland citizens to receive wine by mail from wineries and wine-of-the-month clubs. We're asking friends and fellow wine lovers to contact your legislator before Friday to show your support for direct-to-consumer shipment of wine. March 4th is the day both bills will be heard by the respective legislative committees in Annapolis. According to the Maryland Wineries Association, "Even with the overwhelming support—a majority of the legislature—there are interest groups hard at work to cripple the bills, trying to limit WHICH wines can be shipped, and from WHICH sources (wineries OR retailers/wine-of-the-month clubs, etc.)."

Please let your legislators know that you want:
     - a law based on national standards and the Comptroller's Study on Direct Shipping;
     - a law that allows you to receive wine from wineries and retailers;
     - a law that lets Maryland wineries ship to other states (like NY, which will only let MD wineries ship in if MD's law is based on national standards).

This bill would allow us to ship wine directly to consumers around the state and even to other states- saving you the trouble of trying to bring wine home or the risk of packing it for your flight. Maryland is currently 1 of only 13 states which does not allow direct shipping, despite age identification precautions in place by national shipping companies like UPS and FedEx. 


For much more information about the history of the legislation, please visit the Maryland Wineries Association website.

Blending 2010 wines

Barbara & William tasting our 2010 wines

February- short and sweet. Despite the cold weather we've had a lot going on out here this month. William, Barbara and Chloe spent an afternoon tasting the 2011 wines and deciding how and what to blend. We'll bottle 6 or 7 wines in April and I'm excited about all of them! This year we have a dry Traminette, which is the grape varietal that makes our Lazy Day White and has a wonderful aroma. We also have a Chambourcin that is totally different from our 2009 vintage- a little heavier and more full-bodied. It will offer a nice contrast to our 2009 vintage. We've also got some Chambourcin on oak which has a nice chocolately flavor.

Artists mingle and discuss the various pieces

We've had several successful events this month. The UMES art exhibit was well attended, and everyone enjoyed the beautiful artwork. Brad Hudson, artist of several of our other labels, brought prints of the watermelon wine to sell and the winery purchased some lovely photography to display in the tasting room. 

Brad Hudson (second from left), professor of art at UMES and his students

Lovely decorations for the Sweetheart's Dinner!

Valentine's Day was celebrated at our Sweetheart's Dinner on February 12th, with a fabulous meal catered by Jimmie & Sook's of Cambridge. Filet mignon, chocolate pate, and Joe's Cool Red- what more can you ask for? 

Mark your calendars for happy hour in March- 1st & 3rd Fridays. William will offer a pruning session on March 5th for those of you interested in learning how to take care of backyard grapevines, or for anyone curious about what Janet and Nellie are doing all winter! $10 for the lesson and a glass of wine, please register in advance! 

We're also looking forward to the WineFest at St. Michaels- coming up in April. We might need volunteers so make sure you're on our volunteer list if you're interested in helping out!

Farm Family of the Year!

Congratulations to the Layton family on their induction into Maryland's Agriculture Hall of Fame this month! Governor O'Malley and other agricultural and legislative leaders joined to induct the Kohl Family of Kent County and Joseph Layton, Jr of Dorchester County into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame. These families became the 40th and 41st recipients of the prestigious recognition during the annual “Taste of Maryland” agriculture event at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie on February 3, 2011. More coverage of the event can be read by clicking here.


Sudeep Mathew, University of Maryland Extension agent of Dorchester County sums it up well: "The Laytons have all the ingredients for a successful agriculture operation. They are knowledgeable, methodical, goal-oriented and adaptive to change. When his son decided to return to the farm, Joe and his family diversified their grain operation into growing grapes and opening a winery. The family members are active leaders in their community and have consistently implemented good conservation practices on their farm.”



Joe, William and the whole family have worked hard for many years to keep farming as the family business. The newest addition- Layton's Chance!- is just the latest of many adaptations necessary to keep Lazy Day Farms viable. The Laytons have put unmeasurable time, energy and love into making agriculture work in modern times and it's wonderful that the state has recognized them for this. 


As an employee of the Laytons for the past year and a half, I want to say that I'm extremely proud to be working for this family and I wish them continued success! 

Click here to view a beautiful video with footage of the farm and vineyard, as Joe explains his history of farming. 

Happy Hour & UMES Exhibit

This Friday, February 4th, we're excited to collaborate with University of Maryland Eastern Shore's Department of Fine Arts to host an art exhibition during our normal Happy Hour. Students and faculty will bring pieces for display and sale, some vineyard themed, all unique! It's a great chance to support local art students and enjoy a casual evening at the winery. Live Latin Jazz by Brian Perez and co. will be from 5-8.

It seems like folks have gotten the message about Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine! Last weekend we had quite a number of visitors who came in to pick up a bottle (or a case!). It's might not be what you expect, but for anyone who appreciates a sweet fruit wine I highly recommend it. Plus, it's 100% watermelon wine (no grape juice added), made from melons grown just down the road, scooped by volunteers at the Great Watermelon Scoop, and produced here in our Vienna winery- a true local! See pictures of the whole process here!

We've still got spaces available for our Sweetheart's Dinner on February 12th. Amanda Bramble of Jimmie & Sook's has put together a fantastic menu (full menu can been seen here) to accompany your favorite Layton's Chance wines. Tickets are $100 per couple, and we are taking reservations for 2, or for groups up to 6. Please call (410)-228-1205 or email info@laytonschance.com by February 10th to reserve your place.