Ok, a little rude. But we get where you’re going with that.
So just like beer, you can make wine literally anywhere. The biggest variable would really be from where you source your grapes. Grapes do grow in Maryland! In conventional winemaking wisdom, you tend to get better winemaking grapes in dry regions. Maryland isn’t very dry, but there are really successful vineyards growing both hybrid varietals (better adapted to our climate) as well as several historic varietals.
Specific soils will influence the flavors that develop in grapes growing within them. Some soils are sandy and don’t hold water, some have more clay and can be water-logged. These differences can make the difference in the water stress the vines experience in a growing season, and in turn impact the development of flavor precursors and make grapes swell, with vigorous, bushy leaf growth. ADDITIONALLY, lots of water in rain can get trapped in the leaf growth and contribute to the development of mold on grape bunches.
If you’ve done a great job taking care of your grapes throughout the season, there’s no reason why you can’t have awesome fruit that reflects the heat, humidity, precipitation, and general vibes of your region. You should just expect to taste some differences in a Cabernet Franc grown all over the world, all other things equal.
Now that you have your great grapes, you can make wine anywhere. Provided you do so carefully, you need “only” let the grapes ferment in an environment as protective from the outside elements as possible. You can let the grapes ferment using natural yeast that’s present on the grape skins (which is both the historical and trendy natural wine way) or you can add in some yeast to help your grapes along (just like making beer). Carefully ensuring that fermentation doesn’t stall by monitoring the temperature and keeping your yeast happy can make you incredible wine anywhere in the world - so why not in Maryland?
