Ours is a proud Maryland story – a story of grapes and wine and a family
that have flourished by being planted in a good place,
sending down deep roots, and staying put.
Boordy Vineyards is part of our large family farm, named “Long Green” on the old plats. Our farm has been a model of local agriculture since the early 18th century as successive generations have worked its fields, harvested crops, and tended livestock. Our ownership of Boordy Vineyards dates to 1980, but our connection to the historic Maryland winery began decades earlier as grape growers for the founders, Philip & Jocelyn Wagner of Baltimore. The licensing of Boordy in 1945 set it in rare company in America at that time, as it does today with the celebration of our 80th anniversary as an independent family winery.
To commemorate this auspicious milestone, we have dedicated an exceptional red blend to the Wagners that we have named “Founder’s Reserve”.
Our evolution has been one of constant pursuit of quality.
After farming grapes on our home vineyard in the Long Green Valley for 33 years, Boordy expanded to a second location, South Mountain Vineyard, which lies 80 miles west of the winery in the Blue Ridge Province of Frederick County. Our work at this site for the past three decades has confirmed that its soils and topography yield wines of exceptional character. Between 2008-2018, the vineyards at both locations were replanted with superior vines, and in 2013, our state-of-the-art winery was constructed on Long Green Farm. The award winning wines we produce today are the culmination of these developments.
Four generations of the Deford family live and work on the farm.
Rob Deford, trained in enology at the University of California, serves as Boordy’s president, and has dedicated his knowledge of viticulture and his love of wine to Boordy Vineyards for over forty years. He works with his son Phineas, his wife Julie, his sister Sally, and a talented staff to create the dynamic winery that Boordy is today. In 2024 our family was honored with induction into Maryland’s Agriculture Hall of Fame.
In keeping with an ethos of stewardship, Long Green Farm has been placed in permanent preservation with the Maryland Environmental Trust. We are grateful that our work at Boordy connects us to our history, our neighbors, our environment, and to the global community of wine growers and wine lovers.
R.B. Deford Family, props. Rob & Julie Deford, Phineas Deford, Sally & Bayly Buck, and our children.
