{SUN + TERRIOR + FRUIT + PASSION}
Our grandparents, Jack and Lucille Aellen, and our dads, Anthony and Eric Aellen, were among the first vintners in Frederick County, having planted our family’s vineyard.
Jack led the effort to achieve the first federally designated grape growing area in Maryland, the Linganore American Viticultural Area (AVA), which encompasses 90 square miles of land around the winery in the heart of Maryland.
Now our third generation, led by cousins Melissa and Parker Aellen, are rethinking the vineyards and recognizing the land’s - and the family’s - ability to produce wines from traditional European grape cultivars, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot, that historically have not flourished in the region like the traditional hybrid varietals. The reason? The changing climate.
WHERE WE ARE GOING
Simple Theory Wine Co., introduced in 2024, manifests this climate evolution, and the once-implausible production of refined, single-vineyard wines made from classic Vitis Vinifera grapes in Maryland. The new plantings complement the longstanding multi-heritage varieties for which Maryland wines are known.
"Everyone hears about climate change in the news, but I find it is most commonly seen by and impacts those who work with the land. We can grow grapes here now that my family could not grow 30 years ago because our climate has changed significantly with hotter summers and milder winters.”
Simple Theory Wine Co. manifests this climate evolution, and the once-implausible production of refined, single-vineyard wines made from classic Vitis Vinifera grapes in Maryland. The new plantings complement the longstanding multi-heritage varieties for which Maryland wines are known.
Simple Theory wines are grown from twenty-five acres planted to Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. We recently acquired a new 41-acre site, a portion of which will be planted in 2025.
The in-house farming team follows a regimen of integrated pest management, including use of wide cover crop rows to create insect habitats that reduce reliance on herbicides. Spray schedules are calibrated based on need, rather than a pre-assigned schedule, allowing for surgical use of applications.
Minimal mowing also promotes healthier bug populations which, in turn, drive a healthier and more biodiverse ecosystem in the vineyards. The vineyards are dry farmed.
The Simple Theory wines are produced in a 100% solar-powered facility that has been honored with a Maryland Green Business of the Year Award.
“We are working toward becoming a certified B Corp where sustainable initiatives reach beyond the environment and encompass the community and the winery’s employees as well. Our environmental efforts are designed to preserve our business for the next 50 years.”
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