Reviews of Charis Winery & Distillery (Winery)

Melissa M

We were visiting the area and stopped in thanks to a tip from Jeanine at the Sideling Hill Welcome Center. We're so glad we stopped for a tasting. The wines are fantastic! We also had the pleasure of meeting Chuck, who is very friendly and welcoming. He also happily taught us a bit about winemaking history, science and lingo. We hope to come back!

Douglas Smithman

a nice selection of wines and most were good. She allowed us to share a tasting at no additional charge since I'm not really a wine drinker. They were renovating and should have a real nice place when they finish.

Victoria DiTommasso

Visited Charis Winery for a wine tasting. We tried the sweet wines and ended up getting three bottles. Service was outstanding and the environment was clean and welcoming. The outside pavilion/patio was pleasant and well maintained. Highly recommend. We will definitely be visiting again.

John “Astrogator John” Carrico

Friendly staff. Nice to try local wines. The whites were pretty good.

Danielle Becker

Dan and I had another great experience at Charis today! Chuck has an amazing variety of wines, we love catching up with him and hearing what's new and what he's doing next.

LadyGoodeSpeaks

Chuck (the owner) was soooooooooooooooo nice! He was super knowledgeable and informative. The tour was very interesting. The wine had a great taste, even though my preference is for something sweeter. I DEFINITELY suggest trying the bounces. I loved the lemon and peach! So, if you are in the area or close, you should absolutely stop by to try all the things. Drink responsibly and Happy tasting!!

John Strohm

Fun to stop in for a tasting in this nice building right off of the canal. We usually end up buying a couple of bottles.

Michael Bannerman-Hyde

Very cozy atmosphere. Proprietor very friendly.

Chris Algiere

They are open for business!! Great flight tasting and some amazing new spirits available. Enjoyed the insights and knowledge of Chuck. I will definitely be going back.

Designs By Sye

Me and my Wife came for a wine tasting on our honeymoon and this was a great experience! Mr. Chuck was respectful, kind, courteous, and patient with me. I’ve never been to a wine tasting before and he took his time to talk me through this experience.

Heidi Morales

Walked in on a whim to kill some time after a late lunch, and was pleasantly surprised. Charis is an urban winery owned by a retired techie who has a passion for wines. I wasn’t sure if I would like the wines, but I really enjoyed most, specifically the meade and the Summer Breeze. There was a blend that wasn’t being bottled yet, which was phenomenal (Malbec, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese). The winery also has an assortment of balsamic vinegars and olive oils you can taste and purchase.

Jessica Shipley

Great wine and helpful staff!

Dan Becker

We loved the wines and loved the tasting room; the owner Chuck gave us an excellent tasting! The tasting room is also the production room, and it is nice to see the wine making in progress. We last visited Charis just after they opened and his wines continue to improve. Chuck really balances the Oak in his wines perfectly. Charis had the best red wines in our three day wine tour. Chuck pulled out all the stoppers for our wine tasting! We will stop by Charis every time we are in the neighborhood!

Kevin Cuevas

Amazing! Visiting a friend from out of the state and decided to go browsing to different shops stumbled upon this winery the gentleman who runs the place gave us a lesson while we were sampling different locally made wines. Just amazing absolutely incredible highly recommended.

Robert Yarnall

Had a great experience! Chuck Park was a gracious host. The winery is located in Canal Park, such a quaint setting with a great country shop where we made a fantastic Christmas purchase. The wines were amazing, the Rose was one of the best we have ever had, bought a bottle for our weekend in Deep Creek. They are adding outdoor seating and music along with food truck nights. Certainly a destination to stop when traveling through Cumberland MD.

Brittany Arnett

The owners were friendly and the space felt safe given the social distancing. Decent selection of wine for the tasting. The olive oil tasting is quirky.

David Bouwkamp

We really enjoyed the sampling experience and the wines. The wines are exceptional and our host did a great job of clearly explaining each one. He clearly loves what he does and enjoys getting to know his guests.

Jeremy Jensen

Went for a win tasting and had a great time. Their wine is absolutely fantastic and the owners are the nicest. I immediately scheduled to go to another wine tasting with friends!

Gary Phillip

Great wine period!

Jerae Kelly

Chuck is so amazing! He stayed open on Memorial Day for us coming back from a stay at Deep Creek Lake an extra 45 min. He then let us taste out the barrels. You can feel his passion and all of his wines are worth a taste. We ended buying two and he gave us the last bottle of Catawba because that's where my boyfriend is from. Come support this winery. Good wine and good people!

Quinn Cavanaugh

This guy knows his wine. Can't recommend the Iron Horse more. The Malbec grapes are local and the tannins are removed, making it the most lucious and tasty Malbec I've ever had. Outdoor seating is pretty nice too. Definitely a great stop for anyone on the canal biking.

Amanda Boyce

Such a great host! Very interesting wines and brandies. Totally unique flavors, even for those of us who don’t like sweet booze.

Gwen Bell

Excellent service and delicious wines. We were lucky enough to do our tasting with the owner who provided us lots of fun insider details about the wines we were trying. Will definitely be going back!

Patrick B

We liked their wine, they have sweet, dry and dessert wines. Great wine flights that will help find exactly what you like.????

Dirk Bokeloh

Cute little place. Wine is tasty. Supposedly the wine slushies are the thing to get!

Sarah Benish

Started as a homegrown winery, Charis Winery is a great little local winery with a lot of character. While doing a tasting, the event room next door was filled with people from a birthday party who all periodically stopped by to thank Chuck, the owner. It's a great place to try some different wines (which all smell amazing by the way) and learn a lot about wine making.

Brian Miller

My wife and i went. Great location. Fantastic wines. Wonderful addition of oils and vinegars. Soon to add teas to round out the impressive selection. Groupon got us in and Chuck’s memorable service, knowledge, and showmen ship will bring us back time and time again. P.S. we left with our hands full.

Melissa Williams

The winery is small and quaint. They don't have a vineyard on site. The grapes are purchased elsewhere. The wine and brandy is made here in the store. They offer a nice variety from red, dry to smooth to sweet. My favorite is the chocolate wine. They also make 3 types of brandy. It was interesting to see how it was made. They offer tastings for 5.00 which is very reasonable and they take the 5.00 off if you purchase 2 bottles of wine. They just recently moved into this bigger unit. Stop by and give it a try. They were extremely nice and helpful.

Paul Mullan

Great service

Michelle Laphew-Zukowski

We stopped here on a whim driving through the area and had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. There was a band playing outside with a number of patrons indulging in wine slushies and glasses of wine while listening to the music. My husband and I had a wine tasting experience with Chuck, whom I assume was the owner. He was very nice and very knowledgeable about wine overall. He welcomed us to the area and made us feel at home. We chose a few selections to take home with us and we felt like we HAD to order the delicious sounding wine slushies - NOT a mistake! We had a great time and highly recommend Charis Winery! We will definitely go back when traveling this way. Thank you Chuck! Sincerely, Steve and Michelle Zukowski

Taylor Thomas

My husband and I stopped in for a wine tasting and had such a great time! The wines were all delicious. They also have olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and will soon have loose leaf teas. Chuck was a wonderful host, and obviously very knowledgeable and passionate about wine. We left with plenty of goodies, and will definitely be back soon!!

courtney puidk

Stopped in for a glass of wine and had a nice chat. The guys recommended a wonderful Italian place for dinner - i wanted a bunch of yummy carbs after biking in from Ohiopyle and their recommendation was spot on. The patio is cute, and the wine certainly hot the spot.

Bonita Quick

What Crosby said....it is just canal place business as usual....they are getting rid of that one soon because Cumberland can do better. Everyone knows what the backwoods boozing scene is all about. They are pitifully proud, those little barons! I stay away from backwoods boys. I prefer real men.

Greg Kerr

Very cool vibes.

Melonie Bauerlien

Excellent little place. Absolutely love the Summer Breeze wine. Slightly dry, sweet, but not overly. Tastes just like a green apple. My husband loves the coffee rum. If you are in the area stop by and give them a try!

Angela Swartzentruber

We had the pleasure of having the owner wait on us. He was so helpful & a pleasure. What a wonderful host.

Eric Kyler

Simple collection of wines & Brandy, but the people are the greatest! Took time to help us and educate us on our selection. They are people whom care.

Kelly Raleigh

The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. We were the only ones in the shop on a cold, snowy day, and we had a long, great conversation that went well beyond wine. We go to a lot of MD wineries, and the selection at Charis were some of the best we’ve had. Their selection of dry wines was excellent. We ended up buying two red varieties, and we will definitely come back next time we are passing through.

Virginia K. Beauchamp

Top notch. Small but mighty. Hosts are magnificient and knowledgeable.

Christie Williams

Great experience! Chuck went above and beyond to make our tasting experience top notch. I liked everything I tried. Will definitely be coming back when in town

Ron Bender

Very good wine and nice people to do business with. Best winery I’ve ever visited!

N l

I went here for my first time wine tasting and was absolutely amazed and impressed by all the flavors. I would have to say I love white wine and my favorite wine is Sweet Dreams, where as I just order 2 more bottles, thank you so much Charis for the extra bottle of Taylin. I can say Red wine is not my thing but Taylin was delightful . Very phenomenal place to go to. Thank you!!

Jovon Fletcher

Great line of wine, highly recommended! Trinity goes great with a good steak.

Joseph Snyder

Great compact winery. All of their wines and olive oils are excellent. Did not try any vinegars, but I'm sure they are fantastic also. The owners are very freindly and accommodating.

christina rizzo

Family owned and operated! Super friendly and educational! Great wine, vinegar and oil

Chris Snipes

Great tasting room. Friendly, knowledgeable staff, and Chuck, the owner, made the time fly with conversation.

James Jackson

My wife and I visited Cumberland for the first time and discovered Charis Winery. What a great experience. Quaint little store. Owner was extremely friendly and walked us through tasting each of their wine selections. He was very patient and answered all our questions. We purchased 3 different selections and will be returning in March with more friends in tow. Highly recommend.

Julia L

Great experience! I was in Cumberland for a meeting and had a somewhat stressful day. This place turned it around! My mom and I stopped in here and loved chatting with the man behind the counter. The wine tasting was fun and I loved the Nebbiolo and bought a bottle! Definitely check it out!

Susan Hamilton

An enjoyable experience for wine tasting and great infused olive oil.

Ashley Smith

Friendly atmosphere and good wine.

Melissa Ciancio

My boyfriend and I had a great experience sampling the wines. The lady who guided us through our samples took her time explaining each wine to us and went in the proper order too from lighter to bolder wines. My boyfriend is inexperienced with wine and she explained everything to him and asked him what tastes he prefers to recommend to him what he might like. She also did a brandy tasting with us too, which we really appreciated because I don't think that was included in the wine tasting. She had an experimental batch that she made that she let us taste. It was a chocolate strawberry wine and tasted just like you were eating a chocolate covered strawberry! She said that might be out by fall or winter and I'll be sure to order that online. She gave us a tour of the back and explained the process of making wine. They had a great selection of whites and reds, some light and refreshing, some bold and some decadent dessert wines. They are reasonably priced too for how delicious they all are. We left with 2 bottles and will definitely be ordering more online. Beautiful winery in a great location in Cumberland, MD. Great service and great wine. I highly recommend this place.

Mark Pruim

We had a great and informative tasting with the owner Chuck. The wines were as great as he was telling about his journey in crafting each one. We of course left with some wine and brandy. I highly recommend a stop for a tasting, you won't leave disappointed or empty handed.

Jay Felgar

Nice little place to relax with a good wine. Was there on a Friday evening and they had a nice two man band.