Wine grapes were among the first crops planted by Maryland’s early settlers (we have our priorities straight around here!), and there is evidence of grape-growing and winemaking in the state starting as early as 1648. The modern grape and wine industry began in earnest with Philip Wagner’s planting of vineyards in neighboring Baltimore County in the mid-1940s. Wagner became an inspiration and educator to many of the industry’s early post-Prohibition growers. Since Wagner’s time, the wine grape industry has grown steadily, and there are currently over 450 acres of wine grapes planted in the state.