Urban Winery – Wine with a Message

If you’ve seen our video where we try Agape by Urban Winery, you’ll know that we’re big fans of the crisp, refreshing white wine produced by Silver Spring, Maryland’s unique winery. There’s so much more that we couldn’t cover in our video that Urban Winery is all about, and since Tara has visited them before, she wanted to tell more of Urban Winery’s story and highlight how much thought goes into each sip of wine.

The first thing to note is that Tara visited Urban Winery’s old tasting room, but they are moving to a new, bigger space (still in Silver Spring) and plan to open in Spring of 2021. They are currently open for sales, though, as well as curbside pickup – just not indoor dining yet! You can bet that we’ll be visiting them as soon as their new Tasting Room is open.

Urban Winery is a family-owned winery that really leans into the family’s Greek culture, and it’s reflected in both the food menu in the Tasting Room (Tara hopes that the red pepper hummus she had last time her and Paul went stays on the menu) and the wine itself, which draws heavily on inspiration of family. Urban Winery states that the winery was created “with the understanding that wine is a social occasion”. They make their wines with the goal of being a wine that you’ll want to share with family and friends. The winery originally started using Old Vine Zinfandel, but expanded to other varietals as they grew in their craft. Most of their wines are natural wines with little to no sulfites, using a traditional preservation method – which is very cool to know!

As you know, here at Uncorked we love wine that tells a story. Well, so does Urban Winery. Here’s an excerpt from their website that shows just how much they also believe that there is much more to wine than a drink in a bottle: “We make not only wine…but wine that creates a story. For our family, it was about being together, sharing, collaborating, and, sometimes, arguing. That is all part of the adventure…the process…the love and satisfaction of creating something to enjoy year 'round with friends and family.”

Now, let’s talk about the wine! For a small winery, Urban Winery’s wine list is expansive – they have white, red, port, and bubbles available, but they also have a mix of wines created with grapes in Maryland and wines created with grapes from all over the world. Their “Metro Series” wines are fruit-forward, bringing in flavors of green apply, blueberry, strawberry, and more. There’s something for everyone at Urban Winery, and they even offer other Maryland wines available to taste and buy – we love to see local wineries supporting one another!

Tara’s personal favorite from Urban Winery is the Blueberry Pinot Noir from the Metro series – it’s a blueberry-forward red that mixes tart blueberry in with spices that just bursts with flavor. Agape, which we tried in our video, is a close second, followed by the Parea white blend (which means “Respected Friends”) and Silver Spring Red Blend, which offers a mix of Zinfadel and Carignan grapes.

Last but by far not least, Urban Winery also offers different classes on wine, food pairings, and more. While some classes may require prior wine knowledge, most are open to beginners to taste and learn more about the wine they love! They also offer the experience of making your own wine with guidance from Urban Winery themselves, so if you’re looking for a truly immersive experience, look no further! You can bet that we’re going to look into to trying this ourselves in the future.

If you’re looking for a winery that will allow you to taste, learn, and create while you’re there, Urban Winery is the place for you, and not only will you walk away with bottles of great wine, you will likely have a great story to accompany you home.

Yamas! (That means cheers!)