The grapevines have gone to sleep. The champagne bottles rest upended in a cellar. And the tanks of wine are fermenting, sending out a fruity aroma.

But there is something even more sweet than that smell this season for wine vineyards around the state.

"Across the board, there's a huge sense of relief that comes with this time of year," said Robert B. Deford, president of Boordy Vineyards in Hydes in northeastern Baltimore County.

This is the busiest time of year for the dozen wineries in Maryland. A sigh of relief comes with the end of the harvest, and this is the first time those working at the winery get to taste the fruits of their labor - the wine. But more importantly for the industry, most wine sales are made during the last few months of the year.

Maryland wineries sold about 99,700 gallons of wine in the 2001-2002 fiscal year, compared with about 86,950 the year before, according to the Maryland comptroller's office. And the numbers have grown every year since 1996.

Boordy Vineyards does about 40 percent of its annual sales in the last quarter. There, shelves of spirits and tables made of wine barrels fill a rustic cabin, and a bottle of wine costs between $6.50 and $25. The spiced red wine sells in "embarrassing quantities" this time of year, Deford said.

Spiced wines are among the top sellers for wineries during the holiday season, along with port and other dessert wines and champagne.

"This is the best season for wine. Wine warms you up, makes you sociable, and those are both good qualities this time of year," said Deford, who is president of the Association of Maryland Wineries.

"People just buy a lot more wine this time of year, starting right before Thanksgiving," agreed Bertero Basignani, owner of Basignani Winery Ltd. near Butler in northern Baltimore County. Sales at Basignani Winery have grown 30 percent this year over last.

Some Maryland wineries attributed growing sales in part to a marketing campaign launched during the summer called Ask for Maryland Wine. That campaign seeks to promote Maryland wine through a new Web site, newsletters and posters and displays at wineries, restaurants and liquor stores throughout the state.

"I think that we're beginning to see a little effect of the Ask for Maryland Wine campaign, and I expect that we'll see more of an effect in the coming months," said Al Copp, one of the owners of Woodhall Wine Cellars in Parkton, also in northern Baltimore County.

As wine sales grow, more people have been seeking a piece of the grape growing business. Joe Fiola, a specialist in viticulture with Maryland Cooperative Extension, said that in recent years Marylanders are choosing grape growing over any other agriculture industry.

"Statewide, I have people coming to me constantly, e-mailing, phone calls, saying that they want to get into grape growing," said Fiola, who trains new growers.

Even with those trying to join the industry, there is a shortage of Maryland grape growers. The supply of Maryland wine grapes is about half of the demand, according to the Maryland Grape Growers Association.

Deford said he ends up buying about 40 percent of his grapes from out of state because the types of grapes he needs are not grown in Maryland or there isn't a large enough supply. Copp said he would rather buy grapes from Maryland growers, but he also has to depend on other states for some of his supply.

"The way it is now there's still a significant amount of grapes coming in from out of state because we're just not producing them," Fiola said.

Deford said the Association of Maryland Wineries is hoping that Maryland will be seen as a friendly place to start a winery. And with wine sales increasing even in tough economic times, he believes that the industry is virtually recession-proof.

Maryland wineries brought in $4.5 million to $5 million in revenue last year, says the Association of Maryland Wineries.

When sales to restaurants are down, wineries promote visits to their facility to balance it out. And the decrease in travel after the terrorist attacks last year helped Maryland wineries, as state residents sought out local attractions to visit instead, Deford said.

Customers seek out wineries this time of year to taste new wines or ones that are hard to come by, Deford said. The wineries entertain private parties and hold open houses, with cookies and hot wine. And consumers crave a different environment to shop in this time of year, Deford said.

"This is sort of the antidote to the mall," he said.