February 28, 2022 / News
Seven Variations on Vidal Blanc
March is Maryland Wine Month! It’s a great time to visit as many as you can of Maryland’s 100+ wineries.
To mark the occasion, Links Bridge Vineyards will be celebrating Vidal Blanc, our favorite French-American hybrid. “VB,” as we call it, is a relatively cold-hardy and disease-resistant grape variety that thrives in all regions of Maryland and can be used in making delicious wine in a wide range of styles.
To illustrate the versatility of Vidal, we’ll be offering throughout Maryland Wine Month (in addition to our regular tasting menu) a flight of 7 variations on Vidal Blanc. The wines will range from dry to delicately sweet, from still to sparkling, and from pure Vidal to blends in which Vidal plays the star role. We’ll accompany this flight with a sampling of French and American cheeses selected especially to enhance the taste of the wine.
Come on by, taste the samples, savor the wines, and learn for yourself the potential of this wonderful grape!
Cheers!
Bob & Joan
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January 31, 2022 / News
Hello All!
As this picture suggests, it’s still winter here at Links Bridge Vineyards…
But the one below, taken not long ago, somehow reminds us (just barely) of spring.
And that reminds us to let you know about our new schedule for the upcoming spring, summer, and fall.
Beginning this coming weekend (February 5-6), we’ll be open Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 6pm, and on other days by appointment. We have limited indoor seating but plenty of seating outdoors. So until things warm up a bit, we’ll ask you to make a reservation for indoor seating. You won’t need a reservation for outdoor seating unless your party is large. Also, until the present Covid-19 variant recedes a bit more, we will continue our existing masking policy. We provide details below.
We look forward to seeing you again!
Cheers,
Bob and Joan
Indoor seating on Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-6pm
Reservation required–please call 301-466-2413. (You’re welcome to call for a reservation right up until the time you’d like to come, but we don’t want you to make an unnecessary trip if space is not available!)
Outdoor seating on Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-6pm
Eight or fewer in party–no reservation needed.
More than eight in party–please call 301-466-2413 for a reservation.
Other days/times
Call 301-466-2413 to make an appointment.
Mask policy
To help protect all of our customers:
Please wear a mask indoors when not seated at a table.
Please wear a mask outdoors when not seated at a table if you are within six feet of other customers not in your party.
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November 22, 2021 / News
Our Winter Schedule
All,
While we haven’t yet had a day this season like the one in the picture below, we’ll soon change over to our winter schedule here at Links Bridge Vineyards, and we wanted to write to you about the details:
This coming Saturday and Sunday (November 27-28) will be our last weekend of normal operations for the year.
From November 29 through February 3 we will be open by appointment only. During that interval, if you’d like to come by to taste some wine, buy some wine to go, or enjoy a picnic at our tasting room, just give us a call at 301-466-2413 and we can set up a time that works for all.
Beginning Saturday February 4, we’ll be back to our normal weekend schedule, opening Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-6pm, and by appointment on other days.
By the most recent weather forecast, it looks like this coming Thursday will be a lovely sunny Thanksgiving Day. We hope that your Thanksgiving and the holidays beyond will be great ones and happy ones.
All the best,
Bob & Joan
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November 3, 2021 / News
Links Bridge Wine Club November 2021 Selection
We have just announced the November 2021 Links Bridge Wine Club selection to club members (more details below), and we’re sending this message to our general mailing list just in case some of you might want to join the club.
If you’re already a club member, or if you’re familiar with the club but have no interest in joining, stop here! Otherwise, read on…
This post includes (1) a summary of how the club works, (2) a description of the November selection, and (3) instructions on how to join the club.
We hope to see you soon at Links Bridge Vineyards!
Best autumn wishes,
Bob & Joan
1. Here’s how the club generally works:
- If you join the Links Bridge Wine Club, we will provide you with four selected bottles of wine three times each year. These selections may include current wines that we think are especially good, wines reserved for club members, and/or new wines that have not yet been released.
- Two to three weeks in advance of the pickup period for a given selection, we will send you an email that describes the selection, the pickup date or period, and a deadline date for making adjustments to the selection.
- The price of each selection will be our normal retail price for the wine less a 15% wine club discount, plus Maryland alcohol tax. For club members we will extend this discount to any additional wines you order along with the announced selection (and to wines you purchase at other times of the year).
- If you wish to substitute a different wine for one or more of the selected wines, you can let us know by the deadline date. We will make those adjustments, and then on the day after the deadline date we will charge your credit or debit card for the adjusted amount due.
- If you wish to opt out of a selection entirely, no problem—just let us know by the deadline date and we will not charge you for that selection.
- If you have not requested substitutions and have not indicated that you wish to opt out, we will charge your credit or debit card for the current selection on the day after the deadline date.
- We hope you will come by Links Bridge during the pickup period for each selection, as we enjoy your company and will often have members-only events on these dates that feature the selected wines, wines still to come, or both, and keep you informed about what’s going on at Links Bridge Vineyards.
- If you’re unable to be here during the pickup period, we’ll hold the wine for you until you can come by. Or, should you instruct us to do so, we will ship the selection to you at your expense.
- Finally, with each selection, we will also include certificates for two of our normal sit-down wine tastings that you can use yourself or transfer to a friend.
2. The November 2021 Selection
Our November selection will include one bottle each of: 2020 Chardonnay, 2017 Cabernet Franc, 2019 Pileated, and 2017 River Rocks.
The pickup weekend for this selection is: Saturday-Sunday November 20-21 (11am-6pm). We hope you’ll come by that weekend to enjoy a cup of Joan’s famous plum soup, followed by a mug of hot mulled wine. (If you are unable to come during the pickup weekend, we will of course hold your wine selection until you are able to be here.)
The deadline date for requesting substitutions, etc. is: Monday, November 15.
We’ve selected our November wines in part to remind you of summer, in part to pair with hearty fall and winter meals, and in part to bring you cheer during the coming holidays. Here are some details:
2020 Chardonnay. Grown in our hillside and riverside vineyards, then fermented and aged in tight-grained French oak, this fragrant chardonnay retains pleasant hints of the long hot summer that produced it. Bottled March 2021. ABV 13.3%.
2017 Cabernet Franc. Grown in our riverside vineyard, our 2017 Cab Franc is dry, with notes of tart cherry, plum, and strawberry and a bit of pepper at the finish. Aged 30 months in French Oak. Bottled April 2020. ABV 13.1%.
2019 Pileated. Winner of a gold medal in the 2021 Maryland Governor’s Cup wine competition, Pileated is a Bordeaux-style blend of Petit Verdot (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), and Merlot (20%), all grown here at Links Bridge Vineyards. This wine will pair beautifully with all sorts of winter fare. Aged in new French oak for 18 months. Bottled March 2021. ABV 14.2%.
2017 River Rocks. This delicious sparkling wine was made using the “traditional method” from the 2017 Vidal Blanc harvest at eastern Maryland’s Golden Run Vineyard. The current batch differs from the 2017 River Rocks included in our December 2020 club selection because it has had one extra year of bottle aging “on the yeast” prior to disgorging, making a total of three years. Experts say that good sparkling wine gets better and better the longer it stays in contact with the spent yeast following its in-bottle second fermentation, and that the optimal time to enjoy the wine is soon after the yeast has been disgorged (removed from the bottle). We agree with the experts, and we reckon the optimal time to take a cup of this kindness definitely includes the period from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve. ABV 13.5%.
After the Links Bridge Wine Club 15% discount and Maryland’s 9% alcohol tax, the price of this selection for club members is $109.33.
As always, you may substitute other wines for those in the selection, add extra wines (also at the member discount), or both. Just email us at linksbridgevineyards@gmail.com by the deadline date, Monday, November 15, and let us know what you’d like to do.
On the day after the deadline date, we will charge your credit card on file for the November selection, adjusting for any substitutions you have requested or other instructions we have received from you. (If you are a new member and do not have a card on file, we will send you an invoice which you can pay electronically with a credit card, and we’ll ask that you place the card on file for future distributions.)
We look forward to seeing you during the pickup weekend and hope you can be here!
3. How to Join the Links Bridge Wine Club
We invite you to join the wine club simply by purchasing our November selection.
To get this started, send us an email before the deadline date (Monday, November 15) at linksbridgevineyards@gmail.com. Use WINE CLUB as the subject line. Please include in your email:
- Your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.
- Whether you would like to make any substitutions or additions. (For information about our other wines, look at the “Our Wines” page in our website—just click here.)
On the day following the deadline date, we will send an invoice to your email address that bills you for the August selection, adjusted for any substitutions you requested. This invoice will come to you from Square, the same well-known point-of-sale system that we use for transactions at our tasting room. You will be invited to pay this invoice online with a credit or debit card.
At the same time, Square will also present you with the option to save your card details in order to facilitate subsequent wine club transactions. We will need you to do this in order to make our wine club system work. Please note, however, that your card information will be housed securely with Square rather than at Links Bridge Vineyards.
Once you’ve purchased the August selection and placed your card information on file with Square, you are officially a Links Bridge Wine Club member. (And our communications about subsequent wine club selections will be a lot shorter!)
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October 31, 2021 / News
Mixed-Media Pictures by Karen Peacock
Links Bridge Vineyards is pleased to announce an exhibit of pictures by Karen Peacock. Karen is an artist, writer, and magazine designer who lives and works in Frederick, Maryland. She is a full member of TAG/The Artist’s Gallery in Frederick.
Frederick is in part the inspiration for her invented history Monarchs of Mariland.” Some of these “Monarchs” (stunning life size mixed-media portraits) will be on display at our tasting starting Saturday, November 6. Karen will also be displaying pieces from her “National Treasures” series. These colorful, multi-layered, embellished photos depict an eclectic selection of noteworthy Americans, including at least one well known Marylander.
Karen’s pictures can be viewed at the Links Bridge tasting room from 11 am – 6 pm on the weekends of November 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, and by appointment.
On Sunday November 14 Karen will be here at the tasting room from 1-3 pm to talk about her work. She is a truly unique and imaginative creator. We will put a glass of wine in her hand and see what transpires when she talks. It is sure to be fun!
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September 22, 2021 / News
Last Chance this season for Goat Yoga at Links Bridge!
The last episode of the Links Bridge Vineyards 2021 Goat Yoga season will take place this Saturday morning, September 25th, from 10am-Noon. If you’ve been thinking of trying goat yoga, don’t miss this opportunity!
Before your one-hour class, savor a glass of sangria. After class, enjoy a glass of wine on our new tasting room terrace. Take a stroll along the river. Bring a picnic or try one of our charcuterie platters. Buy a bottle of wine and enjoy the rest of your afternoon up on the terrace or down by the river.
Exercise, relax, and enjoy!
Register for the class here on the Goat for the Soul website. Sangria, the goat yoga class, and the after-class glass of wine are all included in the $40 ticket price. Children are welcome!
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