Friday, January 20th, 2023
We are sad to say that Bo passed away this morning. Bo has been with our family, and with our winery, for 11 years. She was our family’s first dog. She was friendly to everyone. For years she was the mascot of the winery, spending her days walking through the yard and porch begging for…
Wednesday, January 11th, 2023
2023 brings in the new year with new light!
This is the year we’re starting from the ground up! Unfortunately, our 10 year anniversary landed in the spring of 2020, in the midst of our countries shut down for COVID. We had big hopes and big plans to celebrate our 10 year anniversary with celebrations, new opportunities and more. We are now just getting started on…
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022
Happy Thanksgiving from Layton’s Chance!
As we reflect during the Thanksgiving season, we realize we have so much to be grateful for. Here at Layton’s Chance, we appreciate all of our guests and club members. The fact that you bring our wine into your homes to relax or celebrate means more to us than you will ever know. We love hearing you’re…
Wednesday, July 7th, 2021
From the very beginning, we wanted our wines to be the flavor of the Eastern Shore. When looking at what fruit wines to make, Watermelon was the first thing that came to my mind. Watermelons are prevalent in Dorchester, and very easy to come by. In fact, the first year, the watermelons were donated from excess that…
Friday, February 5th, 2021
It may be cold outside but we are dreaming of warm weather here! This summer we are coming out with a new fun wine! It is sort of a margarita flavored wine with definite hints of lime & salt. Our only problem is….we didn’t know what to call it! So, we are asked for…
Thursday, December 31st, 2020
So much can be said about 2020, both good and bad. We hear enough bad from the news, I choose to focus on the good. I am grateful to 2020 for showing us how creative we can become when faced with no alternatives. In March, life literally changed on a dime ending our “normal” way…
Wednesday, November 18th, 2020
What a difference a year makes! This year’s Christmas Market and Wine Sale are going to look very different from previous years. With the latest upticks of COVID-19, we are taking many precautions to ensure everyone’s safety. Please know that this year is primarily a shopping event. As always, wines are available on our website…
Thursday, October 1st, 2020
For those of you who have not met him, let me introduce Loki, our newest edition! This little pup has created quite the stir around here as everyone wants to know what kind of dog he is. Stay tuned as we are doing a doggie DNA test on him to find that out! Bo has…
Wednesday, September 30th, 2020
One positive thing that can be said for 2020 is that it has really shown how creative everyone can be! That especially includes how we socialize and try to make life as close to normal as possible. Wine tasting is no different. We have adapted ours to include several options to help meet your needs…
Wednesday, July 8th, 2020
This past weekend we were the lucky to be the ending spot for Dorchester’s first 4th of July Vehicle parade! This was a great way to celebrate the 4th since all fireworks have been cancelled!! It started out at Palm Beach Willies in the south end of the county and ended at our place. We…
Wednesday, July 1st, 2020
This past weekend we had out 10th Anniversary Celebration. I have to say, after all of our preparation and worry; it couldn’t have gone better! It was incredibly heartwarming to me that we had such an awesome crowd come out and support us! We wholeheartedly appreciate everyone who has supported us throughout the years from…
Sunday, May 10th, 2020
Cheers to all the moms out there! Mother’s day is always a special day at the winery, and we are always honored when Layton’s Chance is chosen to make your mom feel special. We will be open for pick up orders but will miss being able to spend time with everyone! This year’s Mother’s…
Friday, April 3rd, 2020
Grateful for Your Continued Support
Dear Winery Friends and Fans, William, Joe , Laura and I are beyond grateful for the support we have received as the COVID-19 pandemic has proceeded. The encouraging messages, emails, social posts and the purposeful purchase of our wines from our customers and retail partners has been humbling and heartwarming. This is so important to…
Friday, February 28th, 2020
From the day our family decided to develop a winery, William, Joe, Laura and I agreed that certain things would always be important. For instance, we agreed that William would be our very active vintner, overseeing everything from field to bottle. We agreed that our production would remain small so that we could bring the…
Tuesday, February 25th, 2020
While the Maryland Wine Industry is becoming more well known, we are many years behind our neighbors Virginia and Pennsylvania. For obvious business reasons, Maryland wineries are always trying to work together to promote the overall awareness/image of Maryland wine. It is not as apparent what the state does to support it. In the early…
Tuesday, February 18th, 2020
The History of Woodlands on Lazy Day Farms
Joe discusses the business of woodlands and their impact on the farm. I have been spending some time, most days the last week or so, walking the woods and marking the lines. Each of our farms, like most farms contains some woodland which was used by landowners until the early 1900’s to heat their houses…
Monday, February 3rd, 2020
Why I am a Chamber Member and You Should be Too!
Last month we had a fabulous evening at the Dorchester Annual Chamber dinner. With a sold-out crowd and a waiting list, it was a great event at the Hyatt Chesapeake Bay Resort. To feel the energy in the room was terrific, and it made me reflect on why I am a member of the Chamber. …
Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
The farm and the vineyard are greatly affected by nature. Of course, weather is a huge factor. This month, I would like to discuss wildlife – mainly deer damage. While we have small issues with deer in the vineyard, our larger problem comes in our row crop fields. One farm in particular consistently has as…
Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
William discusses what all the jargon, images and descriptors mean on a wine label. What are sulfites? Why do some labels list the grape name and others don’t? These are some of the questions answered in the video. Will the label indicate where the winery is from? European wine labels: why they have different regulatory…
Monday, January 27th, 2020
William discusses the pros & cons of wine packaging options that are on the market today. Is one better than the other? Does the convenience outweigh the quality of the wine and does the type of wine dictate the packaging? The debate over cork or screw caps. What are the pros and cons? …
Tuesday, January 14th, 2020
Our Vineyard/Farm Manager, Greg Kukta, has some helpful tips for the home gardener about winter pruning. Winter pruning is important for all flower/ fruit bearing plants. Pruning grapes is especially important for vine balance and fruit production. It is best to wait until January to start. We normally begin Jan. 2nd every year. While pruning,…
Thursday, January 9th, 2020
As a retired English teacher, one of my visions was to be a part of a book club. When the winery opened in 2010, I started thinking of how we could incorporate reading and wine. With the blessings of our “Jen”eral manager, I started emails and posts to see if there was interest in a…
Wednesday, January 8th, 2020
From the Tractor Seat with Joe Layton
As I do tours of our winery and talk about, our farm guests often ask about our family farm and how long we have farmed the farm, which seems like an easy question, but is actually a little more complicated. The Layton’s have farmed on the lower eastern shore of Maryland since sometime in the…
Monday, December 23rd, 2019
When reflecting over 2019 one word comes to mind – whirlwind. We have had more events over the past year than ever before. We have helped more people relax with our Wine and Unwind series. Also, we have had a great time with our signature pairings this year by pairing our wines not just with…
Wednesday, December 4th, 2019
Wine is often seen as intimidating or as a subject that has a lot of rules. We have always strived to make wine more approachable and focus on drinking wine you like, not necessarily what someone else decides you should like. Many people feel like…
Wednesday, November 6th, 2019
What will 42 days of no rain in September and October give you? Our earliest harvest on record! We have finished both our grain and grape harvest! When we first moved to the farm, William always told me that if we were done by Thanksgiving that was a good year, so the fact that we…
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2019
I have to say formulating our specialty pairings is one of the hardest jobs we have here at the winery, but somebody’s gotta do it! Hopefully you picked up on the sarcasm in that note. We don’t normally give sneak peaks of our tastings, but I just had to share this one. When we were…
Tuesday, September 10th, 2019
GoFermentor – Our Newest Technology in Fermenting Reds
Technology is always changing, and winemaking is no exception. Since I started making wine, I have been fermenting my reds in the same way. I run them through the crusher destemmer into an open top bin. Then let them ferment, punching down (pushing down the skins) once or twice a day. That all changes this year, and…
Wednesday, August 21st, 2019
The ‘Jen’eral Perspective on Volunteers
Every year we go through two cycle of needing volunteers, one in the spring and one in the fall. We are now in the process of gearing up for round two for this year. So much happens on the farm, in the vineyard, at the winery and at festivals in the fall we couldn’t do it…
Monday, July 29th, 2019
Pivoting Our Irrigation Strategy
by William Layton Drive through farmland during the summer and you will notice enormous steel tower “irrigation pivots” (or what people here call a “Delmarva carwash”) stationed in the fields. These large crop sprinklers have been shown to be profitable by creating bigger, heartier crops. The flipside is that they can be expensive to run….
Monday, June 24th, 2019
Christi (left), Pam (center) photobombed by Lisa, Barb and a hot air balloon! I am super excited to announce a few changes at Layton’s Chance! Our continued growth has created a need to split our current Tasting Room Manager/Events/Retail Sales position that has been held by our very own Pam Payne…
Tuesday, June 4th, 2019
Celebrate Our First Wines-in-Cans Launch at Our Release Weekend! If you have been to the liquor store lately, I am sure you have noticed the appearance of some wines making the leap to cans. We’re happy to announce that Layton’s Chance is right on trend! Two of our most popular wines, Joe’s Cool Red and…
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
Wine in Cans: ‘Bottling’ Reimagined
By William Layton Canning is something new to us. And, it’s not just a matter of offering our wines in a different size package. Cans makes wine more convenient in a few ways. Cans can go anywhere glass is not allowed; you don’t need to open a whole bottle if all you want is a…
Tuesday, May 7th, 2019
National Wine and our Birthday, a Perfect Pairing!
In 2019 the stars will align to make National Wine Day and our Ninth Birthday both end up on May 25th! While marked on calendars all over the Internet, there seems to be no known origin of National Wine Day. There is historical information that shows that America’s first wines were made from Muscadine grapes…
Wednesday, April 24th, 2019
”Jen”eral Perspective In with the new, growth that is. The burning of the vines is an annual tradition that has its roots in France. Each year after the harvest is over and the vines have gone dormant, winemakers prune the grapevines to make way for new growth – a critical step in the growing process. This winter…
Thursday, April 11th, 2019
As we embark on our planting season there are many things we do in preparation for the upcoming crop. We actually begin planning in the winter starting with determining what crops go in what fields. We use a three-year crop rotation. Within three years, we actually plant 5 different crops. This rotation helps us to…
Tuesday, March 26th, 2019
Oh, what a night! The winery was bustling last Friday evening as nearly 200 Gold Leaf Club members and guests were hosted at one of the most anticipated events of the year: Tank Tasting. Even with the wind – the last of the heavy rain storms had miraculously just ended – when the doors opened…
Wednesday, March 20th, 2019
To Filter or Unfilter, That is a Question
They say timing is everything, and that’s never truer than when we bottle wine. This March we have nine separate Layton’s Chance wines to bottle, the most we’ve ever done at once. It takes a lot of energy, organization and efficiency to bring nine wines to market at once. To offer some insight on how…
Wednesday, March 13th, 2019
MARYLAND WINERIES KICK OFF THIRD-ANNUAL MARYLAND WINE MONTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 28, 2018 MARYLAND WINERIES KICK OFF THIRD-ANNUAL MARYLAND WINE MONTH March is Maryland Wine Month, a celebration of Maryland-made wine and the state’s growing wine industry. (BALTIMORE, MD) – Members of the Maryland Wineries Association are preparing for a month-long celebration of the state’s flourishing wine industry. Maryland Wine Month…
Tuesday, February 12th, 2019
Not Your Mother’s Wine Tasting
Looking for something unique to do in the cold winter months? Want to kick your winery visit up a notch? Gather your friends, (or family or even your knitting group) and try a VIP Wine Tasting. Designed to give you a more in-depth experience, a VIP Wine Tasting will often include a behind-the scenes look…
Saturday, January 19th, 2019
Celebrate Popcorn the Layton’s Chance Winery Way!
When I heard January 19 is National Popcorn Day, we just had to celebrate it at the Winery! You see Popcorn plays a significant role in the Layton household. Our 17-year-old son, Stephen, LOVES popcorn. I attribute this to adoration to William’s need to ALWAYS have popcorn at the movies. Going to the movies and…
Tuesday, December 18th, 2018
In Praise of the Designated Driver
It’s the “Holidays” with a capital “H” – the time of year, more than any other, where cheery, popular people in perfect clothing toast each other with wine, champagne, mixed drinks or beer every second or third television commercial. Morning show hosts have wine on the podium; reality TV cooking shows showcase recipes with wine….
Monday, December 10th, 2018
Christmas Letter from the Laytons
Greetings from the Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery Family, If there is one thing that defined 2018 it is RAIN! Maryland’s Eastern Shore received its fair share and then some. All the farmers and growers were impacted in some way – even Lazy Day Farm and Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery. But despite the weather,…
Saturday, November 3rd, 2018
Memories of Harvests Past Harvest is the best time of the year for a farmer. It is tremendously rewarding to harvest a really good crop and even fun to harvest an average one. This fall we had had some good corn and some bad. In general, it wasn’t a very good year for corn; just…
Thursday, September 6th, 2018
Wine Festival 101: Ten Great Tips (Plus a Couple More)
We love to see our customers and friends at wine festivals, and over the years we have collected a few tips from them, and our team, that will help make your next wine festival experience the best it can be. Here are 10 of our favorites. Go early in the day if tasting is your…
Tasting Room Hours
Monday’s CLOSED
Tuesday – Thursday: 11AM – 5PM
Friday & Saturday: 11AM – 6PM
Sunday: 12PM – 5PM
Saturday & Sunday at 1PM & 3PM
Monday – Friday by appointment only
