Eater DC Names Old Westminster One of the Best Wineries Near Washington, DC
What is one of the best wineries to visit near Washington, DC?
Eater DC includes Old Westminster Winery on its list of 15 Worthy Wineries Just a Short Drive From DC, placing our family run Maryland winery among the region’s best wine country day trips.
For us, this kind of recognition matters because it captures what Old Westminster has become: a place for Maryland grown wine, wood fired food, outdoor reservations, private cabanas, vineyard views, and full farm hospitality just a short drive from DC, Baltimore, and Frederick.
A Maryland Winery Worth the Drive from DC
Eater DC’s guide highlights wineries within roughly 90 minutes or less of Washington, DC, focused on local pours, vineyard views, tours, tastings, food, and day trip energy.
Old Westminster fits that perfectly.
Located in Westminster, Maryland, our winery sits on a family farm in Carroll County wine country. It feels far enough from the city to give you space to breathe, and close enough to make the trip easy for a long afternoon.
That combination is powerful. Guests can leave the city, settle into the farm, taste Maryland wine, order wood fired food, and make the visit the whole plan.
What Eater DC Said About Old Westminster
In its winery day trip guide, Eater DC describes Old Westminster as a winery started by three siblings and calls it “a best weekend bet” for summer wine flights, brunch, and live music. The piece also highlights reservations on the porch, patio, and under the solar pavilion with vineyard and tasting room views.
Eater also points to the food: wood fired pizzas made with local ingredients, cheese and charcuterie boards, salads, soups, and baked goods for brunch. Read Eater DC’s full winery guide here.
That summary gets at the heart of what we’re building.
Old Westminster is a winery, and it’s also a full food and wine destination.
Maryland Grown Wine, Made for the Table
Old Westminster’s wine program is built around Maryland grown wines that are fresh, expressive, food friendly, and rooted in place.
Depending on the season, guests can taste sparkling wines, crisp whites, dry rosé, skin contact wines, chillable reds, deeper red wines, and limited releases from our cellar. Our wines have earned national attention from VinePair, Wine Enthusiast, Cosmopolitan, and other leading voices in American wine.
The goal is simple: make wines that speak clearly from Maryland and make sense at the table.
A winery visit should feel like more than a tasting. It should feel like wine in its natural habitat: with food, friends, weather, conversation, and the rhythm of a real farm.
Wood Fired Food Makes the Trip Complete
One reason Old Westminster is such a strong winery day trip from DC is the food.
Eater DC specifically calls out our wood fired pizzas made with local ingredients, along with cheese and charcuterie boards, salads, soups, and brunch baked goods.
That matters because a great wine country visit needs food. You shouldn’t have to taste wine and leave hungry. At Old Westminster, guests can book a reservation, order wine, share wood fired food, and spend real time on the farm.
Wood fired pizza, seasonal dishes, local ingredients, and Maryland grown wine make the visit feel generous and complete.
Reservations, Cabanas, Porch, Patio, and Vineyard Views
Old Westminster is designed for guests who want to settle in.
Eater DC highlights the ability to reserve a seat on the porch, patio, or under the solar pavilion, all with beautiful views of the vineyard and tasting room. We also offer private cabanas, one of the most popular ways to experience the farm for birthdays, date days, friend gatherings, and small celebrations.
For guests searching for a winery near DC with reservations, Old Westminster is a strong fit.
Reservations help make the day smooth. You know where you’re landing, your group has a place to gather, and the experience feels intentional from the start.
A Great Winery Day Trip from DC, Baltimore, or Frederick
Old Westminster is a natural day trip from Washington, DC, and it also works beautifully for guests coming from Baltimore, Frederick, Columbia, Annapolis, Montgomery County, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
That regional accessibility is part of the appeal.
You can come for a few hours and feel like you went somewhere. You can make it a birthday outing, a date afternoon, a family visit, a wine country brunch, or a weekend escape.
The best visits are simple:
Book a reservation.
Start with a tasting or glass.
Order wood fired food.
Choose a bottle for the table.
Take your time.
That’s the whole point.
Why This Press Matters
Eater DC is one of the most trusted food and drink guides in the region. Being included in its list of worthy wineries just a short drive from DC helps more people understand that Maryland wine country belongs in the same conversation as the region’s best culinary day trips.
For Old Westminster, the recognition also reinforces a bigger story.
Maryland wine is not a side note.
It’s becoming part of the regional food and wine culture.
Guests from DC don’t need to look only to Virginia for a wine country day trip. Maryland has serious wine, beautiful farms, thoughtful food, and warm hospitality. Old Westminster is proud to be one of the places helping prove it.
More Than a Winery
Old Westminster began as a family farm and grew into a winery, food destination, and gathering place.
That family story still shapes everything we do. The wines, the vineyard, the wood fired food, the cabanas, the hospitality, and the farm setting are all connected. The goal is to create a place that feels generous, beautiful, and real.
A visit to Old Westminster is about wine, and it’s also about the full experience around it.
The farm.
The food.
The people.
The view.
The feeling of stepping out of the city and into Maryland wine country for a while.
Plan Your Visit
Old Westminster Winery is located in Westminster, Maryland, on our family farm in Carroll County. Join us for Maryland grown wine, wood fired food, private cabanas, porch and patio reservations, wine flights, vineyard views, and farm hospitality just a short drive from Washington, DC.
Come see why Eater DC named Old Westminster one of the 15 worthy wineries just a short drive from DC.