The Deep Creek Lake Art, Wine & Spirits Festival returns to the Garrett County Fairgrounds on Friday, Sept. 11, and Saturday, Sept. 12, and it’s planned to be “bigger than ever.”
The festival benefits HART for Animals in Accident.
“We’ve added six premium spirit tables to Friday’s Premium Wine and Spirits night, plus 16 premium wine tables,” said Paula Yudelevit, chair of the event and Executive Director of HART. “And Saturday includes 40 artists, 39 wine tasting tables, and 18 spirit tables, not to mention more food trucks and food booths! This is the largest festival we’ve ever had.”
The popular Premium Wine and Spirits Tasting returns on Friday, Sept. 11, from 5-8 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 12, the festival will feature wine and spirits tasting, artisans, a football lounge, entertainment, food, and fun. The festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. Wine may be purchased directly from the Premium Wine and Spirits Tasting on Friday, and all wine and spirits will be available in the wine store on Saturday. The wine and spirits store will remain open until 7 p.m.
“Friday’s Premium Wine and Spirits Tasting is not to be missed,” Yudelevit said. “Our selection of wines is hand-selected by experts from wineries around the world.”
This year, local winery Blackthorne Cellars will feature their award-winning wines, along with other national and international wines with 90+ ratings. The festival has added more spirits on Friday, including a special Comisario Gran Extra Añejo IX, a rare release that earned the prestigious Century Award and a remarkable 100-point rating. Friday night also includes live entertainment by Heart 2 Heart and light hors d’oeuvres provided by FireFly Farms. Tickets include a $25 coupon towards in-store purchases and can be purchased separately online in advance or in combination with the Saturday festival.
On Saturday, guests can purchase a wine-tasting ticket, a spirits tasting ticket, or a combination wine plus spirits-tasting ticket. Both include a commemorative glass, wine and spirits tasting of more than 200 wines from around the world, live entertainment, and a $15 coupon for wine and spirits products in the retail store.
Along with the hundreds of wines to taste and purchase, the spirits area will feature spirits from Springbrook Hollow, Sugarlands, Comisario, Russells, -196 Seltzers, plus Mark’s Mocktails, and more.
“We’ve also made our Chilled Beverage area bigger!” said Jen Meyett, Logistics Chair and HART president. “You can buy chilled wines, beer, seltzers, and mocktails to picnic with your favorite foods.”
Mocktails are fast becoming a popular alternative to alcohol, and the festival has the award-winning Mark’s Mocktails. Mark’s Mocktails took a major win at the 2026 WSWA Access LIVE event in Las Vegas, where all four of the brand’s non-alcoholic ready-to-drink mocktails earned medals in the blind tasting competition, including a Double Gold Medal with 98 points for their Mojito, and Silver Medals for their Cranberry Mule, Paloma, and Spicy Pineapple Margarita.
Guests can also enjoy works by 40 local and regional artisans. Jewelry, pottery, oil paintings, handcrafted woodwork, and more will be featured, including glass-blowing demonstrations. Food artisans include handcrafted cheeses, local maple syrup, and other food items. Live entertainment and food from local nonprofits and food trucks round out the afternoon.
New this year is a mobile app that lets guests easily find wines, spirits, and artists by table number, variety, or type; read notes; and add favorites.
“You can check it out now, while we’re building it at app.deepcreekwinefest.com,” said Yudelevit. “It’s so much easier than carrying around the paper!”
Advance tickets to the Friday and Saturday festival are available online at www.deepcreekwinefest.com. The Premium Wine and Spirits Tasting on Friday, Sept. 11, is available online, advance only (limited tickets may be available at the gate). Combination Friday and Saturday tickets are also available at a discounted price.
“The Premium Wine and Spirit tasting on Friday night sells out quickly!” said Yudelevit. “It’s such a fun event – I definitely would purchase tickets early.”
Art, Wine & Spirits Festival lodging packages are available at participating hotels and resort rental agencies. Railey Vacations, The Inn at Silver Tree, Cove Creek, Will ‘o the Wisp, Taylor-Made Vacations, and Wisp Resort are offering packages with other lodging partners to follow. Visit www.deepcreekwinefest/lodging for more information.
“A special thank you needs to go to our amazing sponsors,” noted Spirits Chair, Alan Emery, owner of DMV Distributors. Sponsors include McHenry Beverage, Taylor Made Vacations & Real Estate, Railey Real Estate and Vacations, The Baltimore Sun, Sugarlands Collection, Tri-Vin, Campari, Jim Beam, Russell’s Reserve, Edmond’s Honor Springbrook Hollow Farms, Mark’s Mocktails, Tequila Comisario, Arthur Wheeler Spirits Company, Tres Agaves, Dil-ish, Cream of Kentucky, Merlet, El Tesoro, Cayuga, Deep Eddy, Espolon Tequila, Roaming Man, Booker’s, Pernod Ricard, Chocolat, Sunrise Sanitation, Firefly Farms, Jessica Fike Photography, Arrowhead Market, Shop ‘n Save, Little Mountain Promotions, and Deepcreektimes.com.
“The festival committee contributes hundreds of hours of their time to the festival, and they are what makes it so successful,” said Yudelevit. “It’s a lot of work!” The 2026 committee includes Yudelevit as chair, Eric Robison, Jen and Donny Meyett, Jimi Flanigan, Joe Refosco, Kelli and Eric Hallenbeck, Cari Zbel, Coby Blom, Kate Buchanan, Alan Emery, Alicia Brant, Julie Stuck, Matt Book, Stephanie Wilson, Ann Horton, and Andy McKenzie.
Garrett College Athletes, Maryland State Police, Northern High School JRTOC, and the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office also contribute to the success of the festival.
HART for Animals, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless pets in Western Maryland. Through a network of volunteers – individuals and rescue organizations – HART is able to rescue animals from local and regional shelters and give them a chance to find a permanent home. In addition to the Adoption Wing, the HART Animal Center on Bumble Bee Road in Accident offers full-service veterinary services at the Bredel Veterinary Clinic, and day and overnight accommodations at the Bed ‘n Bark Inn pet hotel.
Visit the Festival's website for additional information.
Article courtesy of The Garrett County Republican. From Staff Reports.
