If ever there was a use for the phrase “Let them eat cake” on the Eastern Shore, Layton’s Chance Winery & Vineyard found it.

The winery celebrated its ninth anniversary with enough cake to feed hundreds over its birthday weekend last month.

“Between our cake-and-wine pairing event – which gave guests four wines matched to four cake selections – during the days, and not one but two enormous cakes for our concert Saturday evening, there’s no doubt our guests were on a sugar high,” said Jennifer Layton, Jen’eral Manager of Layton’s Chance.

“It’s an amazing thing to celebrate our birthday with so many people; especially to hear them sing Happy Birthday,” she said. “It was a wonderful weekend.”

In less than a decade the winery has become a “must-do” for people visiting Dorchester County, and those passing through to other destinations.

“We have people who come here on bus tours from the Western Shore and then come back again and again because they love how peaceful it is here,” said Pam Payne, Chief Brand Ambassador. “And then we have many people who stop here on their way somewhere else, like the beach, or come for our concert series and tell us they’ve never been to such a relaxed winery.”

Over the past nine years, Layton, her husband, Winemaker William Layton, and his parents, farmers Joe and Laura Layton, have grown Layton’s Chance from five wines in their first year to a selection of nearly 20 wines available at their Tasting Room, online, and in many retail outlets in Maryland and Delaware. They are readying the release of two wines – the beloved Joe’s Cool Red and Laura’s Lemonade – in cans for the first time this summer. And the winery’s wine club – Gold Leaf – is just surpassed 500 members.

The Layton’s commitment to the community is also underscored by their sponsorship of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center through the sale of their “Freedom” wine. In the last two years they have raised more than $10,000 in support of the facility.

“We love being part of the fabric of the Eastern Shore,” added Jennifer Layton. “Even on the hardest day, it’s gratifying.”

Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery is family owned and operated in Vienna, on third-generation owned Eastern Shore farmland. Fourteen acres of grapes go into the 18 wines that are crafted on-site and bottled in Maryland. Layton’s Chance is a Certified Good Land Steward, in partnership with the USDA. The winery features a tasting room that is open daily, as well as weekend tours, walking trails, special events, and play and picnic areas. Private event hosting is also available. Learn more at laytonschance.com.