Orchid Cellar Winery was established and began production in October 2006 as Maryland’s first premier meadery by Marzanna and Andrzej Wilk. The family’s Eastern European tradition of home mead and wine-making plus a biochemical background inspired them to continue the ancient tradition of mead and wine production. In September 2008, Orchid Cellar Winery was at its first Maryland wine festival. Since then, Orchid Cellar has expanded production to include more varieties of meads, and also two grape wines: a 2010 and 2011 Merlot. In May 2010, Orchid Cellar’s first grapes were planted at their Middletown, MD location. In October 2010, their Middletown, MD tasting room location was opened, where they continue to offer tastings and tours on weekends from 12-5 p.m.
Mead is an alcoholic beverage, made from honey & water via fermentation with yeast. It is sometimes mixed with spices, fruits, or grain mash. The earliest archaeological evidence for the production of mead dates to around 7,000 BC. It is independently multi-cultural, having roots throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe. To this day, mead making finds most tradition in Poland. Polish mead-making is documented to the 10th century, & Slavs had been making mead there for at least 1,000 years before! Mead has been known as the national drink since its earliest days & remained a popular drink for polish nobility until the 16th century. During the Middle Ages, it was frequently produced in monasteries – such as the Bernadine & Capuchin monasteries – and served for the aristocracy. It is still used for special occassions.
From the beginning, Orchid Cellar Winery has been focused on using all-natural, high-quality ingredients to create the finest meads, wines made from honey blended with fruits and/or spices. The fermentation and aging processes are all natural, with no technological or chemical interferences. The unique flavors of their ten different meads are produced only from natural ingredients, with no artificial flavorings or preservatives added.
We began brewing mead because of a family tradition of home wine and mead making. It is a challenging, but rewarding process, and we have spent about ten years testing and re-creating recipes. A background in chemistry and microbiology help us better understand the process, but we do not interfere with natural fermentation. We use the finest ingredients: only highest quality spices, and honey from quality sources, including our very own bees. We use only natural ingredients, and no artificial flavoring. All of our products are aged in French oak barrels for at least one year. Any traces of sulfites are produced by yeast in natural fermentation. Our mead is stable, and there is no need for added preservatives. You can open and close the bottle again and again, and safely enjoy our wines quite a long time.
Marzanna’s enthusiasm for fine meads and wines was the inspiration for her idea to establish Orchid Cellar Winery. She is the mastermind behind the logistics, and often offers her expertise during tastings. Andrzej’s Eastern European and biochemistry background piqued his interest in mead production. His passion for both sticking to traditional recipes and experimentation with new flavor combinations led him to begin production for Orchid Cellar. This passion inspires him to create the finest quality Maryland meads and wines, which he loves to share and discuss with customers.
Want to get in touch? awilk@orchidcellar.com
marzannaw@orchidcellar.com
Andrzej Jr. shares his family’s passion for mead and winemaking and continues these ancient traditions through Orchid Cellar’s production. He is dedicated to using the finest, all-natural ingredients to produce the highest quality wines.
Want to get in touch? info@orchidcellar.com
Karolina shares her love for Orchid Cellar Winery meads and wines with Maryland and the surrounding areas by contributing to Orchid Cellar’smarketing efforts through our social media accounts, including Facebook and Twitter. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @OrchidCellar.
Email Karolina! info@orchidcellar.com