Old Westminster Winery with Strangers
What happens when you put together wine pairing with food and strangers at the Old Westminster Winery? You end up having an experience that leaves you full of laughter and on the cusp of being a wine enthusiast even though the May weather attempted to overtake the connections that were waiting to be made.
Seated with Strangers brings strangers together over dining experiences to remind us that we can’t do life alone using our conversation cards to help navigate the night. We were introduced to the Old Westminster Winery by Deana Tisdale – one of our Seated with Strangers Host in Baltimore, MD.
Deana hails from South Hill, Virginia and can now be found soaking up the vibrant vibes of the Baltimore metro area. By day, she’s a seasoned Senior Account Consultant at a major health insurance company, making waves in the industry. But by night (and weekends!), you'll find her diving into the world of wines, pursuing her dream of becoming a certified wine specialist. She’s proudly certified by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust as a WSET Level 2 in wines, where she finds joy in expanding palates and uncovering new flavors.
In the process of planning this meetup with Deana where she chose our food and wine pairing menu it was overwhelming noticeable how much she valued working at the Old Westminster Winery and the community she’s even established within the company.
It was a pleasure to see that what she expressed about the Winery matched the service we received upon arrival. In a world where customer service is usually comprised this was not the case in our experience. Old Westminster is a family-owned business and in 2011, on a loan from their grandfather, they were able to purchase and plant 10,000 grapevines by hand on their land.
They now farm a combined 134 acres between their vineyard at Old Westminster and their second site, Burnt Hill Farm, in Montgomery County. Along with 50,000 grape vines, they also tend to an apiary, a herd of woodland hogs, a mushroom farm and fields of heritage grains. You can find much of what's grown or raised at Burnt Hill Farm atop pizzas at Old Westminster.
In 2023, Old Westminster Winery was named a top winery in the U.S. by Cosmopolitan Magazine and USA Today.
Around the table details.
What did we have to eat and drink? Pet Nat Albarino (champagne style wine), Honey (sweet white), Rose’ and Pepper (red wine).
Margherita Pizza, Potato Pizza (listen to me this was a fan favorite), charcuterie board (I’m a cheese connoisseur and I wanted more).
Memorable Moment? This was the first time that Deana had the opportunity to put her skills in front of an audience. I loved being stretched in my palate choices along with hearing how, who she is defines her educating other. Deana expressed how she doesn’t encourage people to overindulge in wine and that she’s meant to be a light in this space.
What we learned? To stop holding our wine glass by the bowel “the top” as it changes the temperature of the wine which could change the taste.
Meet the Strangers. Nikia, Sherita, Brittany, Amanda, Sonja, Towanda, Deana, Chamika, Shivawn + Seated with Strangers.
Recommendations and Tips? If you plan on going to the winery, I highly recommend making reservations. Also, if you are going during the cooler months, even in May bring a blanket. They do have small heaters, but a blanket also helps.
If you are looking for a space to find your people and have conversations paired with amazing local food, make sure that you become a subscriber to our newsletter as we let our subs know before anyone else where we may pop up.
When you subscribe to our newsletter you’ll gain access to our restaurant guide.
Shivawn
