Layton’s Chance Goes All In
Jennifer and William Layton were extremely nervous at the start of the pandemic. “No one knew what to expect. We didn’t know how long we’d be closed or whether we’d even be able to sell wine on the property,” recalls Jen, the Jen’eral Manager of Layton’s Chance Vineyard and Winery. “It was nerve-wracking for many, many weeks as we figured it out.”
Figure it out they did, quickly shifting to online orders, curbside pick-up, deliveries to wholesale outlets (once alcoholic beverages were classified as “essential”), and expanding outdoor seating in advance of re-opening. Early on, Jen even ordered thousands of wine bottles — the cases took up the entire front porch — so they would not be caught short for bottling.
It soon became apparent that their strategies were paying off. Instead of floundering, their business began to grow, and today they are in the midst of a major expansion.
“We’ve gone all in,” said William, the Head Vintner. “Last year, when we could start to see where things might be going, we decided to get out of producing corn, grain and soybeans, which we have grown on our farm for 70 years, and focus solely on growing, bottling and selling wine.”
It’s been a huge undertaking. After leasing land to other farmers, the couple concentrated on producing enough wine to meet demand. They retrofitted an equipment barn and turned it into a warehouse. They installed two 2,000-gallon tanks, each of which can produce more than 10,000 bottles of wine, to increase their production by 40%.
“Our Original Joe’s Cool Red Turbo and the newer Turbo Pink are our bestsellers,” said William. “Last year, for the second year in a row, we had to hold a third bottling, which is expensive and time-consuming. These new tanks will allow us to bottle more at one time while keeping the quality high, and it opens up the smaller 500-gallon tanks for additional bottles of other major sellers and the continued experimentation with smaller-batch wines.”
The winery is the region’s first and only Certified Craft Winery. The certification from the Craft Wine Association is meant for family-owned operations producing commercially available wines, which makes those small batches (under 5000 cases for each wine per year) and traceability of the grapes important.
Jen added that while their “wholesale orders for retailers shot through the roof during the pandemic, they have stayed steady, even as restrictions have lifted. And at the Winery, we are starting to feel like we are back to normal with people enjoying our Tasting Room and joining us for concerts and events.”
Layton’s Chance: 300 Years in the Making
The Layton Family, which emigrated from England before America was a country, can trace their presence in Dorchester County to 1709, and even earlier in Somerset County.
William recalled, “My great grandfather’s great grandfather owned some land near this farm and had some money,” as well as the entrepreneurial spirit that marks the family. “He had this idea to import pineapples from the Caribbean, so he invested in a ship to bring them to Baltimore. It turned out the captain was untrustworthy, and he lost everything.”
Recent relatives were more fortunate. In the 1920s, William’s great grandfather William Layton was a sharecropper in this area and passed the commitment to farming to his son. That was William’s grandfather, Joseph H. Layton, Sr., who fought in WWII in the Army as a Tank Gunner in Europe, in the 2nd Armored Division. After the war he came back to live in New York, but the land called him back. He bought the present farm in 1948 to grow corn and soybeans.
By the mid-1970s, William’s dad, Joseph H. Layton, Jr. and mom, Laura, took over. They grew the farm by purchasing more land and turning it into a successful grain operation. Laura taught English at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School for many years, and they raised two children.
When William and Jen married after graduating the University of Maryland, Jen said, “We wanted to see other places,” so William took a job with a car manufacturer that had him changing locations every few years. First the couple went to Kansas City, then to Southern California. When they became pregnant with their first child, they knew it was time to come home to the Eastern Shore.
It takes a special type of person to be able to farm; one who has a deep respect for the land. William explained, “It’s not just the financial investment but the emotional one — this farm is part of us. For my father especially, after 70 years, he could no more sell a piece of ground than cut off an arm.”
To make sure the property would remain viable even as farms around them were consolidating, Joe, Laura, William and Jen put their heads together. They re-evaluated everything and looked for ways to diversify. They liked the idea of a winery and, after much research, in 2005 began the process of preparing the ground. In 2007, they planted grapes suited for the local climate. Then, they anxiously waited to see if their hard work would (literally) bear fruit.
From Five to 20 Wines in a Decade
It did. In 2010, the family opened the winery which they named “Layton’s Chance,” the name of an ancestor’s property in area dating back to the early 1700s. “My aunt, Sylvia Bradley, was a professor at Salisbury University and she did the research. We thought it was a great idea to tie back to our origins and to reflect the risk we were taking,” said William.
They began with five wines, including Joe’s Cool Red, Lazy Day Rose, Lazy Day White, Vidal Blanc and Chambourcin, growing each year until their offerings numbered more than 20 wines ranging from very sweet to dry, with wine slushies and other products (homemade Chambourcin Jam, anyone?) to tempt nearly any palette.
Today William and Jen, with guidance from Joe and Laura, and summer help from their children Stephen, 20 and Allison, 17, grow 14 acres of grapes. (Both their children are following in their family’s footsteps in different ways. Stephen is a Junior at University of Pittsburgh, studying engineering and serving in the army reserves as a truck driver with a current rank of Specialist, while Alison is a freshman at her parents’ alma mater, University of Maryland, studying chemistry and food science.)
The family plans to add more vines at a rate of about a half-acre a year. “It’s a tremendous investment of not just money and time but effort. Early on we planted five acres at once and it almost killed us! We know better now,” said Jen.
Currently, they grow six varietals including Vignoles grapes, which they planted three years ago and will harvest the first crop this year. Next, they plan to expand their Vidal Blanc vines. “Then, I’d like to add one or two more grapes over time for the sweeter wines,” said William.
Together they forecast the production for the winery based on sales, Jen’s research into market trends and the grapes that William wants to experiment with in his lab. The most recent results are two new wines, Isadore Red (a black cherry-flavored wine named for the patron Saint of Farming) and Lime of the Vine, a “fun wine” with notes of margarita. Coming this fall is Dirty Rosé, which has an earthy (thus “dirty”) taste. They also have a port wine aging in a tank for a future release.
Jen and the Tasting Room staff had a very successful summer as they resurrected their Summer Concert Series and debuted Friday in the Vines events. Next, they will host some regional favorites, including the 12th Annual Harvest Festival in September, the firepit-based Toast & Toasted in November and the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party in December.
On November 20 and 21, Layton’s will hold their annual Christmas Market & Wine Sale which has been expanded this year to two full days. The event features dozens of craft and gift vendors, food vendors and Christmas Carolers. The wine sale — always a huge hit — will be held the same weekend in the Tasting Room and online.
The staff is also excited to be attending three wine festivals this year: Ocean City Winefest, the Autumn Wine Festival in Salisbury, and the Maryland Wine Festival in Westminster.
Thinking about all the changes in the last 18 months, William is glad to not be in the fields farming, but rather working fulltime in the vineyard. “It’s worked out well. My father said just the other day that he noticed that even without farming the other crops, I am not working any less, and I think that is because the winery really needed me and my full focus.”
Reflecting on the journey, Jen added, “When we were moving around the country, I never did the same job twice. I developed new skills in each place, which I think has made me perfectly suited for my role here. It’s funny how things work out. Together our family is really strong team, and William and I are exactly where we should be.”
Layton’s Chance Winery
4225 New Bridge Road, Vienna, Maryland
410-228-1205
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Layton’s Chance is open daily from 11:00am to 5:00pm Monday thru Thursday; 11:00am to 6:00pm Friday and Saturday, and 12:00pm to 5:00 pm on Sunday. Winery tours are available on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 and 3:00pm, and during the week by appointment.
Layton’s Chance Winery has won dozens of awards over its first decade. Here are just a few:
- Joe’s Cool Red Turbo Charged: Bronze — 2016 Finger Lakes International Competition
- Laura’s Lemonade: 2017 Maryland Governor’s Cup Bronze Medalist
- Bo Berry Strawberry: 2018 Maryland’s Comptroller Cup: Best in Class Fruit 2018 Maryland’s Comptroller Cup: Gold Medal
- Lazy Day Rosé: Silver — 2016 Finger Lakes International Competition
