Category: Winemakers

October Is Virginia Wine Month

/ Paul / 1 Comment

Happy Virginia Wine Month!

We started Virginia wine month with a harvesting experience at Gray Ghost Vineyards. Besides COVID 2020, we have harvested grapes at Gray Ghost for 15 (Paul) and 20 (Warren) years. It’s always great fun! We usually harvest the chardonnay grapes but this year we decided to harvest the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Here are some pictures from the day.

Al Kellert, the winemaker and owner, starts off the day with a lesson on how to harvest grapes.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were gorgeous this year!
Here Warren is showing us how to snip the vine and capture those beautiful grapes.

We had a great time filling up the yellow bins with grapes.

What a great way to start off Virginia Wine Month. Please catch up with our social media to see what we are pouring and enjoying throughout the month. Are you planning on visiting any Virginia wineries this month? If so, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Remembering Summer 2021

/ Warren / 1 Comment

We continued to celebrate reunions and meetings with friends and family throughout the summer of 2021.  As we look forward to the golden leaves of autumn, I thought it would be appropriate to recall our fun times with family and friends during this past summer.  Of course, Virginia wineries were our gathering places!

Paul and I were excited to catch up with our friend Bob who lives on the Northern Neck of Virginia.  Bob introduced us to two new wineries in that area, and we were able to add two new wineries to our growing list of wineries that we visited.  These included Monroe Bay Winery and Backporch Vineyard.  In addition to tastings at those wineries, Paul and I were also able to sneak in a tasting at Ingleside Vineyards and The Hague Winery.

Monroe Bay Winery

Backporch Vineyard

Ingleside Vineyards

The Hague Winery

Williams Gap Vineyard has quickly become a favorite winery of ours, and we scheduled a tasting that introduced our friends Steve and Joe to their well crafted wines.  Bridgette Smith skillfully guided us through our tasting as we nibbled on charcuterie and cheeses.  In turn, Steve and Joe invited us to join them at a tasting of one of their recent favorite wineries, Forever Farm and Vineyard.  This was also a new winery visit for us, and we enjoyed our tasting with live music!

Williams Gap

Forever Farm and Vineyard

My parents were able to escape the chaos of Hurricane Ida after she blew through New Orleans, and a trip to Delaplane Cellars offered the perfect opportunity to view lovely mountain scenery as we tasted some excellent wines.  We also used the occasion to toast their 61st wedding anniversary!  We finished our afternoon of wine tasting with a visit to Barrel Oak where we were treated to a sample of their current lineup of wines and their excellent dessert wine.

Delaplane Cellars

Barrel Oak

Now we look forward to seeing the gold and crimson colors of fall leaves as they decorate the autumn skies.  We know that we will include Virginia wineries in our afternoon excursions to appreciate the gorgeous season.  Please decorate your fall wine collection with visits to the wineries mentioned in this post, after all October is Virginia Wine month! Be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Yay for Chardonnay at Granite Heights

/ Warren / 1 Comment

Wine enthusiasts may associate vertical tastings with red wines due to the perception that red wines are more age worthy. However, the Chardonnay is one white wine variety that can also lend itself to cellaring and then appreciating later on. Granite Heights Winery offered a master class on this subject recently, and we can report that Chardonnay can indeed reveal its wisdom over time.

The vertical tasting of Chardonnays featured vintages from 2014 through 2020 with the exception of 2019. Winemaker Luke Kilyk kicked off the tasting with a brief history of his experience with the Chardonnay grape and admitted that 2014 was his year to learn; therefore, he opted to retain 2% residual sugar to produce a wine that was pleasing to all palates. However, experience taught him that Chardonnay can be elegant and expressive in regard to place and vintage. The 2014 vintage, therefore, offered a drier palate with a refreshing acidity and bright apple notes. The 2017 vintage can be described as Burgundian with more finesse than its older siblings while the 2018, a wetter growing season, was treated to more oak to present a rounder, fuller-bodied mouth feel. The profile with this one was dominated by pear and pineapple notes with a generous oak kiss at the finish. The 2020 offering, though young, promises to continue in the same vein as its more immediate predecessors with perhaps a greater similarity to the 2017 vintage.

We attended this event with friends who are also Virginia wine lovers, and we paired our vertical flight with the salmon dinner. A vote among the gang of four left me in the minority on which vintage was the favorite—-three of us gave top honors to the lovely 2017 vintage while I, forever beholden to oak, favored 2018. Salmon is a fish that offers flavor and weight, and the 2018 paired most favorably for me. My second choice was—-2017. We all appreciated Luke’s journey as a winemaker; although 2014 was the sweetest of the vintages poured that evening, it did allow us to understand the process of a winemaker discovering his talent. We also enjoyed it with the salmon—-never knock sweeter wines with a fuller-bodied dish or something that is heavily spiced.

I’ve been screaming Yay for Chardonnay even when others were cheering Yay for Viognier. I’ll take the Chardonnay any day! Please visit Granite Heights Winery to taste their excellent wines, especially the Chardonnay. Of course, you must mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Media & Industry Experience and the Monticello Trail

/ Warren / 5 Comments

Paul and I were honored to be included in the Media & Industry Experience, an event planned by Frank Morgan and Nancy Bauer, to showcase wines produced in the Monticello area. The event happened to coincide with a vacation that we had already planned to the area, so our next posts will also feature our own winery experiences.

The event opened on August 1 with a lunch prepared by chef Michael Clough of Palladio restaurant located on the Barboursville estate. Attendees were treated to a an exquisite food and wine pairing that included:

Barboursville’s winemaker, Luca Paschina, provided a summary of his history in the Virginia winemaking industry with an emphasis on his own evolution as a winemaker in a state that can challenge even the most skilled winemaker. Readers may know that Paschina is from Italy and began his work with the Zonin family over 30 years ago. For Paschina, his task in the 1990s was to discover through trial and error what grape varieties grew best in Virginia and then how to craft the grapes to present wines that expressed a sense of place. In that time, Paschina has experimented successfully not only with grapes known to show well in Virginia such as Cabernet France but also Italian grapes such as Nebbiolo, Vermentino, Fiano, and Falanghina. One example of success was the 2018 Nascent, a blend of Viognier, Vermentino, and Falanghina that presented a fuller, expressive palate with elements of white flowers, tropical fruit and citrus to pair nicely with the main entree, a grilled tuna served atop panzanella salad.

We were then given a brief but informative vineyard tour after lunch by Luca. It was evident to us that the 2021 growing season has been excellent due to ideal summer weather conditions.

A wine tasting and barbecue dinner was the evening’s event and it was hosted by Afton Mountain Vineyards. How odd that both Paul and Frank Morgan wore the same Hawaiin shirts for the festive occasion. Was this a coincidence? As they marveled at the coordinated fashion statements made by these two, attendees were able to sample wines from:

Afton Mountain Vineyards
Blenheim Vineyards
Flying Fox Vineyard
Hark Vineyards
Jefferson Vineyards
Keswick Vineyards
King Family Vineyards
Michael Shaps Wineworks
Pollak Vineyards
Veritas Vineyards
Wisdom Oak Winery

Craig Hartman of The Barbecue Exchange provided pulled pork and chicken with an array of sauce options.

The Media & Industry Experience concluded on August 2 with a series of seminars on Virginia wines that included Petit Manseng, Cabernet France, and “others”. We were able to attend the session conducted by Frank Morgan that featured Cabernet Franc. Winemakers Kirsty Harmon, Tim Gorman, Luca Paschina, and Stephen Barnard were on hand to educate attendees and to answer their questions. They each also provided pours of their own Cabernet Francs, and these ranged from lighter-style productions more common from the Chinon region of France to fuller-bodied styles. The panel agreed that Cabernet Franc best expressed Virginia as a wine region. All agreed that vineyard management and making critical decisions regarding harvest time were key to making excellent Cabernet Franc. This seminar was followed by a lunch hosted by King Family Vineyards and prepared by chef Laura Fanner.

Nancy Bauer moderated the final seminar of the day and featured second labels and “side hustles” of Virginia winemakers who, in addition to crafting wines for established wineries also produce wines under their own personal labels. These winemakers included Jake Busching (Jake B Wines), Caitlin Horton (Gears & Lace), Matthieu Finot (Domaine Finot), and Tim Rausse (Vino Dal Bosco).

Paul and I learned so much from the Media & Industry Experience, and the key take away was that Virginia continues to evolve as a wine region of note because excellent winemakers understand what it takes to create Virginia wines that express a sense of place. Please visit the wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail, and mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Granite Heights Winery

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We were visiting wineries with friends on Memorial Day weekend and stopped at Granite Heights Winery along the way. It was great to see owners Luke and Toni and catch up with them.

The day we were there they had 8 wines on the tasting menu. Our tasting was conducted by Matt, Luke’s brother. The wines were all poured in little plastic cups and placed on a tasting sheet with descriptions of each wine. Even though the wines were poured in small plastic cups, they did give us glasses to taste the wines. We tasted four whites and four reds. The favorite of the whites was the 2018 Chardonnay. It’s a dry chardonnay fermented mostly in stainless steel but also spends time in French and American oak. The favorite red was the 2012 Evening Serenade. It’s a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot. We noted red fruit, raspberries, gripping tannins and a smooth ending. It’s holding up really well. We have one bottle of this left on our rack. However before leaving we picked up another bottle to add to the collection.

After our tasting we were treated to a barrel tasting with Luke, the winemaker. He treated us to barrel samples of the 2020 Barbara (from stainless steel!), the 2020 cabernet franc, the 2020 petit verdot and the 2019 cabernet franc that will be part of the blend for their Humility red blend. All of the barrel samples were amazing! My favorite was the 2019 Cabernet Franc for the red blend.

Photo courtesy of Jill Dail.

After our barrel tasting, we enjoyed a bottle of the 2018 Chardonnay with our friends on the front porch. We had a chance to catch up with Toni while enjoying the chardonnay. Before leaving we picked up half a case of our favorite wines. We always enjoy our time with Luke and Toni at Granite Heights Winery. We’ll be visiting again soon! We recommend you visit them soon! And when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Photo courtesy of Jill Dail

Reconnecting and a Trip to Williams Gap Vineyard

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It does appear that there is a rainbow on the horizon after the Covid storm disrupted our lives. The resulting isolation and then socializing within bubbles may be bursting as vaccines make us all less wary of resuming our pre-Covid lives. Paul and I are now reconnecting with friends who have been seen either through computer screens or messaged via chats. It was therefore a welcome relief to meet up with our friend Erica Johansson, who is also a Virginia wine aficionado. This also gave us the opportunity to reconnect with the Virginia wine trails to discover new (to us in some cases) wineries, and this was the case with a visit to Williams Gap Vineyard.

Readers may want to be aware that many wineries are still by reservations only; however, that was not the case with Williams Gap Vineyard. The two-story tasting room is rustic yet well-appointed, and tastings can be customized to include service from a tasting educator for $20 per person. We selected this option and was expertly guided by Ken, a familiar face in the wine tasting community. Ken has been a wine educator at other Virginia wineries, and he has an extensive knowledge of Virginia wines and the varieties that can thrive in the state. The three of us knew that we were in good hands.

Six wines were available for tasting, and I will say that all were well-crafted. All wines were from the excellent 2019 vintage, and all grapes that produced the wine were estate grown. The Vidal Blanc may surprise some tasters who are more familiar with sweeter productions of this variety—-this one is bone dry and delightful. Lemon zest and a refreshing mineral note made for a refreshing yet elegant wine that will be perfect for summer salads and light cheeses. The White Blend, a mix of 75% Petit Manseng and 25% Vidal Blanc presented notes of chamomile and stone fruit with a rich, fruity palate. The weightier Petit Manseng was all tropical notes with an excellent balance between sugar and acidity.

The tasting transitioned to the red wines, and Ken started us off with the accessible Cabernet Franc. Lovely notes of raspberry, strawberry and spice played well on the palate, and a hint of chocolate added a bit of complexity. If anyone wonders what red wines are appropriate for summer, this Cabernet Franc would be one excellent example. Grilled fare or picnics with charcuterie present menu options, but be prepared to enjoy this one on its own. The Merlot was a bit more jammy with dense cherry and raspberry flavors. Expect a fruity entry and a surprisingly tannic presence in the mouth. It’s never too early to look forward to autumn menus and heartier fare, and the most complex Red Blend should be on the wine rack for cooler seasons. The blend is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet France and Merlot as sidekicks. Dense plum and currants prevailed on the nose and palate along with a whiff of dried herbs. Tannins are a bit young here so don’t be afraid to let this one age for a bit; however, decant and drink now if you prefer.

As we tasted through our flight of wines, Ken filled us in on Williams Gap story. Virginia wine lovers may recognize the Williams Gap designation from the red blends poured at Delaplane Cellars. Those grapes do indeed come from the Williams Gap Vineyard. Owner Jack Sexton planted the vineyard on the Williams Gap site in 2006 and sold the grapes to area wineries including Delaplane Cellars. Sexton decided that Williams Gap would pursue its own rather recently, and 36 of the 200 acres of Williams Gap property is currently planted with vines. Additional plantings of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc will result in another 14 acres of vines planted. Current case production is 1300, and wine production takes place under the skilled direction of Rob Cox at Paradise Springs. Expect to see a Rosé to be released in June. The tasting room has been open since the end of April.

So with tastings done, we ordered a charcuterie board that included cheeses and baguettes. Our wine of choice was the Cabernet Franc, and the three of us enjoyed catching up and reconnecting. Are you also reconnecting with friends over Virginia wines? Consider meeting up at Williams Gap Vineyards. Please mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Walsh Family Wine

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We joined Kurt from Wine About Virginia at Walsh Family Wine to celebrate their recent anniversary weekend. Happy Anniversary Walsh Family!

We began with a self directed tasting of the 2019 Estate Chardonnay, the 2018 Viognier, the 2018 Loudoun County Cuvée and the 2017 En Passant. The Chardonnay was a favorite as we worked our way through the wines. The Viognier was soft and refreshing. The 2018 Cuvée was smooth, fruity and a perfect light red sipper. The 2017 En Passant ended up being the favorite red in this tasting. We noted dark fruit, coffee and some black pepper.

After our tasting we selected the 2019 Estate Chardonnay to enjoy with our lunch items. We had lots of food items to enjoy with the chardonnay. It paired well! While enjoying our lunch and the chardonnay, Nate Walsh came by and chatted with us. It was nice to catch up with him. We were also able to see Sarah and the new baby!

We enjoyed our time at Walsh Family Wine. It’s always nice to visit and catch up and enjoy all the wonderful wines. If you haven’t been to Walsh lately, you need to plan a trip and when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Linden Vineyards

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What a beautiful day it was on Saturday! We went to Linden Vineyards after several months of being away and started off with some wine flights. They have both a red flight and a white flight so we decided to share one of each.

The white flight consisted of the 2018 Village Chardonnay, the 2017 Village Chardonnay, the 2017 Wabi Sabi and the newly released 2019 Boisseau Viognier. We loved them all but our favorite of the flight was the 2017 Village Chardonnay. We enjoyed the pear and apple notes as well as the round mouth feel. We’ll enjoy this one for years. The 2019 Boisseau Viiognier was also a favorite. It was floral, creamy, rounded mouth feel, tropical fruit and a lengthy finish.

The red flight consisted of the 2016 Claret, the 2016 Petit Verdot, the 2016 Avenius Red and the 2016 Hardscrabble Red. Again, all of them were very good but our favorite this time was the 2016 Avenius Red. We noted juicy cherry and dusty tannins. We expect this one to last several more years as well.

After enjoying the samples we decided to enjoy the library carafe of the 2013 Avenius Red – it’s in a good place! You can enjoy it now or later. We noted savory flavors and less fruit.

We enjoyed a bottle of the 2017 village Chardonnay with our lunch items of Mediterranean pasta salad, olives, various cheeses, crackers and flatbreads. Warren noted the 2013 Avenius red paired well with his Mediterranean pasta salad. We had a nice relaxing lunch and even had a chance to chat with Jim Law. He told us all about the new solar field they recently installed. You can’t miss it as you enter the parking lot. It’s a great addition to the vineyards.

Jim informed us the wines on the tasting menu will be changing soon. We look forward to returning to taste the new offerings. We left with our favorites to add to the wine rack. We always enjoy visiting Linden! If you visit them soon, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

2021 Governor’s Cup Winner

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Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of Governor Ralph S. Northam

Virginia’s Barboursville Vineyards Takes Home 2021 Governor’s Cup® with 2015 Paxxito

~ Dessert wine from storied Virginia winery joins 11 other gold medal-winning wines in 2021 Governor’s Cup Case® ~

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam awarded the Virginia Wineries Association’s 2021 Governor’s Cup® to Barboursville Vineyards for their 2015 Paxxito. The winning wine was revealed tonight during the annual Governor’s Cup Celebration, which was held virtually this year. Eleven other wines received top honors, comprising the Governor’s Cup Case®.

The Virginia Governor’s Cup, hosted by the Virginia Wineries Association in partnership with the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association, is one of the most stringent wine competitions in the United States. A panel of 22 judges, directed by Jay Youmans, one of only 53 Masters of Wine (MW) in the United States, reviewed the record-setting 544 wines entered into the competition this year, conducting a blind sampling and scoring the wines in multiple rounds over a four-week period to confirm the winner. Last week, gold medals were awarded to the 96 wines that scored 90 points or higher. All wines in the Governor’s Cup competition must be made from 100 percent Virginia fruit.

“Virginia’s history as a wine region has close ties with Barboursville Vineyards, and I am pleased to recognize Luca Paschina and his team with the Governor’s Cup for their continued innovation in winemaking,” said Governor Northam. “The wines in this year’s Governor’s Cup Case are a testament to the passion and pioneering spirit from which Virginia’s wine industry thrives. As we celebrate these high-quality and distinctive Virginia wines, we also honor the resilience of the farmers and winemakers who grow and craft them across our Commonwealth.”

Underscoring its Governor’s Cup win, two additional Barboursville wines received honors in the competition, giving the vineyard a total of three wines in the Governor’s Cup Case® this year. Under the leadership of winemaker and general manager Luca Paschina, Barboursville wines have now earned five Governor’s Cup awards including their 1988 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, 1997 Cabernet Franc, 1998 Cabernet Franc Reserve and 2009 Octagon. Located in Virginia’s Piedmont region, industry leader Gianni Zonin founded Barboursville Vineyards in 1976 as a wine estate and was an early pioneer of the Virginia wine industry, eventually helping to set the standard for a region that is now home to more than 300 wineries.

Virginia ciders also are eligible to enter the Governor’s Cup competition, and this year a new “Best in Show Cider” award was introduced to recognize achievements in the category. Lost Boy Cider’s “Comeback Kid” was recognized with the 2021 award with three other ciders receiving gold medals in the competition.

“Wine and cider are an important agricultural product and economic driver in our Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “In light of all the challenges the industry faced this year, the Governor’s Cup is a welcomed opportunity to celebrate the fantastic wines produced in our region.”

Alongside the Barboursville Paxxito, the 11 wines included in the 2021 Governor’s Cup Case are:

Barboursville Vineyards Octagon (2016)
Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino Reserve (2019)
Bluestone Vineyard Petit Manseng (2019)
Breaux Vineyards Meritage (2016)
Breaux Vineyards Nebbiolo (2016)
Carriage House Wineworks Petit Verdot (2019)
R.A.H. Wine Company Series 1 (2017)
King Family Vineyards Mountain Plains (2017)
Michael Shaps Wineworks Meritage (2015)
Trump Winery Brut Reserve (2014)
Veritas Winery Petit Verdot (2017)

Within the Governor’s Cup Case, there is wide representation from Central Virginia as well as the Shenandoah Valley and Northern Virginia—areas that are putting Virginia on the map as a globally recognized wine region. The broad geographical diversity of wineries and wines in the 2021 competition highlights Virginia winemakers’ ability to listen to their land and navigate the Commonwealth’s varied landscape and conditions.

According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, more than 2.2 million tourists visited Virginia wineries in 2015. Today, the Virginia wine industry generates $1.37 billion in economic impact and 8,218 jobs for the Commonwealth. Nationwide, Virginia is in the top six states in number of wineries and wine grape production.
Additional details about the Governor’s Cup competition, a complete list of previous winners, and information about the Virginia wine industry can be found at virginiawine.org/governors-cup.

This information was provided by the Virginia Wine Board.

Governor’s Cup Gold Medal Winners!

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Virginia Wineries Association Announces 2021 Governor’s Cup® Gold Medalists
Nearly 100 Wines Awarded Gold Medal Distinction, New Cider Category Introduced in Acclaimed Wine Competition

Richmond, Va. (March 2, 2021) – The Virginia Wineries Association is honored to announce that 96 Virginia wines from 47 different wineries have been awarded gold medals in the 2021 Governor’s Cup® Wine Competition. Originating in 1982, the Virginia Governor’s Cup® is one of the most stringent wine competitions in the U.S.

Over the past four weeks, a panel of world-class judges have blind sampled and scored a record 544 wines that were submitted in this year’s competition. Wines awarded gold medals received a score of 90 or higher on a 100-point score range and are deemed “Outstanding” by the judges.

A testament to Virginia’s diverse terroirs and grape varieties grown in the Commonwealth, the gold medal winners include wines made from over 20 varietals produced across Virginia’s distinct winegrowing regions. With an increase in gold medal winners from last year’s competition, statistics from the 2021 Governor’s Cup® gold medal winners include:

59 Golds – Central VA
2 Golds – Chesapeake Bay
9 Golds – Hampton Roads
17 Golds – Northern VA
9 Golds – Shenandoah Valley

In recent years, Virginia wineries have cultivated more unexpected varietals in the region, such as Tannat and Petit Verdot. These grapes are well-represented among gold medal winners, indicating that experimentation in Virginia’s vineyards has proven fruitful. Bordeaux-style blends and hearty reds are stalwarts in the Virginia wine landscape and received the most gold medals in this year’s competition. A number of white wine varieties such as Chardonnay, Petit Manseng and Sauvignon Blanc rounded out the gold medal winners, for a diverse list taking center stage in Virginia’s booming wine industry.

Of the gold medal winning wines, the 12 wines that receive the highest scores will comprise the Governor’s Cup Case®, showcasing the best wines in the Commonwealth. The wine scored highest will be awarded the grand prize of the Governor’s Cup, which will be announced in a virtual celebration on March 9, 2021.

Virginia cider, a fast-growing segment of the Virginia agricultural industry, now has its own category in the Governor’s Cup Competition. Judges for the new “Best in Show Cider” award were selected based on their passion, experience and understanding of the category, and will award their favorite of 27 ciders that were entered.

The esteemed panel of judges was directed by Jay Youmans – one of only 53 Masters of Wine (MW) in the U.S. – who has overseen the competition for ten years. “The decade I’ve spent working with the Governor’s Cup Competition is evidence of the great evolution we’ve seen in Virginia’s wine industry – this year’s gold medal winners are nothing short of impressive. Awarding such a diverse range of wines and introducing a cider category showcases the transformation of the industry, and I’m proud to see the hard work of these winemakers pay off,” said Youmans.

Virginia’s vibrant wine industry – a 400-year-old “experiment” – has made it a significant agricultural sector in the state. Today, over 300 wineries in Virginia cultivate over 4,200 acres of grapes, making it the sixth-largest wine region in the U.S. The Virginia Wineries Association’s Governor’s Cup® Competition is done in partnership with the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association. Both the Governor’s Cup Competition and the resulting Governor’s Cup Case boost the visibility of the Virginia wine region through various marketing programs and exposure to top wine critics and tastemakers.

About the Governor’s Cup Competition
The judging panel ranks each wine based on a unified scoring system. Any wine made from 100% Virginia fruit is eligible for the Governor’s Cup® Competition (ciders, fruit wines and meads have their own categories). Entries must include an affidavit with a certification of 100% Virginia fruit and vineyard particulars, including grower names and location, as well as information on alcohol, acidity or basicity (pH) and residual sugar. The Governor’s Cup competition is a partnership among the gubernatorial-appointed Virginia Wine Board (VWB), the Virginia Vineyards Association (VVA), and the Virginia Wineries Association (VWA), which owns and manages the competition.

The Virginia Governor’s Cup® award winners will be announced during a live premiere on Virginia Wine’s Facebook on March 9 at 7 p.m.

For interviews and photo requests, please contact Annette Boyd at 804.402.1896 or Annette.Boyd@Virginiawine.org.

For more information about the Governor’s Cup or events, tours and tastings, please visit the Virginia Wine Marketing Office’s website at http://www.virginiawine.org/ or email information@virginiawine.org.

2021 Governor’s Cup® Gold Medalists
Winery Wine Vintage
Afton Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2017
Albemarle CiderWorks Harrison 2018
Albemarle CiderWorks Pomme Mary 2019
Barboursville Vineyards Octagon 2017
Barboursville Vineyards Octagon 2016
Barboursville Vineyards Paxxito 2017
Barboursville Vineyards Paxxito 2015
Barboursville Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2019
Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino Reserve 2019
Barren Ridge Vineyards Meritage 2015
Blue Bee Cider Firecracker 2019
Bluestone Vineyard Chardonnay 2017
Bluestone Vineyard Merlot 2014
Bluestone Vineyard Petit Manseng 2019
Breaux Vineyards Meritage 2016
Breaux Vineyards Nebbiolo 2016
Breaux Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Carriage House Wineworks Petit Verdot 2019
Cave Ridge Vineyard Red Silk Barrel Select Cabernet Franc 2017
Chestnut Oak Vineyard Petit Manseng 2017
Chisholm Vineyards Chambourcin 2019
CrossKeys Vineyards Petit Verdot 2017
Cunningham Creek Winery Estate Petit Verdot 2017
Cunningham Creek Winery Meritage 2017
Delaplane Cellars Tannat 2017
Delfosse Vineyards and Winery Petit Verdot Reserve 2017
Delfosse Vineyards and Winery Screaming Hawk Meritage 2017
DuCard Vineyards Triskele 2017
Early Mountain Cabernet Franc 2019
Early Mountain Capstone Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2019
Early Mountain Eluvium 2017
Early Mountain Five Forks 2019
Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyard Vidal Blanc 2019
Gadino Cellars Petit Verdot 2017
Greenhill Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2019
Honah Lee Vineyard Petit Verdot 2017
Horton Vineyards Petit Verdot Private Reserve 2016
Horton Vineyards Tannat 2015
Ingleside Vineyards Albariño 2019
Ingleside Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2018
Jefferson Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2019
Jefferson Vineyards Jefferson’s Own Estate Reserve 2016
Jefferson Vineyards Viognier 2019
Keswick Vineyards Estate Reserve Cabernet Franc 2019
Keswick Vineyards Heritage Estate Reserve 2017
King Family Vineyards Loreley 2017
King Family Vineyards Mountain Plains 2017
Lake Anna Winery Petit Verdot 2017
Lost Boy Cider Comeback Kid 2020
Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc 2017
Michael Shaps Chardonnay 2018
Michael Shaps Chardonnay 2017
Michael Shaps Chardonnay 2016
Michael Shaps Meritage 2017
Michael Shaps Meritage 2015
Michael Shaps Petit Manseng 2019
Michael Shaps Raisin d’Etre White 2015
Michael Shaps Roussanne 2019
Michael Shaps Tannat 2016
Muse Vineyards Clio 2017
Narmada Winery Melange 2017
Narmada Winery Yash-Vir 2016
October One Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2019
Paradise Springs Winery Apres Rosé 2018
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards Easton Blue 2017
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards Easton Blue 2015
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards Zero White 2019
Pollak Vineyards Meritage 2015
Pollak Vineyards Meritage 2017
Pollak Vineyards Mille Fleurs 2017
R.A.H Wine Co. Series 1 2017
Rockbridge Vineyard DeChiel Chardonnay 2018
Shenandoah Vineyards Reserve Red 2017
Silver Hand Meadery All Blues 2020
Silver Hand Meadery Black Velvet 2020
Silver Hand Meadery Dream By The Fire 2020
Silver Hand Meadery Raspberry Passion 2020
Silver Hand Meadery Soak up the Sun 2020
Silver Hand Meadery Strawberry Swing 2020
Stinson Vineyards Tannat 2017
Thatch Winery Block 8 Tannat 2017
Thatch Winery Merlot – Mount Juliet Farm Vineyard 2019
The Williamsburg Winery Petit Verdot Reserve 2017
The Winery at Bull Run Barrel Select Viognier 2019
The Winery at Bull Run Cabernet Franc Reserve 2019
The Winery at Bull Run Petit Manseng 2019
The Winery at Bull Run Reconciliation 2019
Trump Winery Brut Reserve 2014
Upper Shirley Vineyards Tannat 2016
Upper Shirley Vineyards Zachariah 2016
Veritas Winery Cabernet Franc Reserve 2017
Veritas Winery Petit Verdot 2017
Veritas Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Veritas Winery Scintilla 2015
Veritas Winery The Momentarius Collection Monticello White Blend 2019
Walsh Family Wine Dutchman’s Creek Cabernet Franc 2019

About Virginia Wine
You can learn a lot about our wine just by looking at a map: Virginia sits halfway between Europe and California and our wines embody this unique position in the world. They are lush but structured; aromatic, expressive and beautifully balanced – blending the subtlety of the Old World with the boldness of the new. Like perfect French spoken with a slight southern drawl. Home to 312 wineries across ten wine regions and seven American Viticultural areas (AVAs), most Virginia wineries are family owned; the average size of a winery is 12.8 acres. This means Virginia wines aren’t massproduced – they are local, artisanal and tell a story shaped by Virginia’s diverse landscape and unpredictable conditions.

All the information in this post was provided by the Virginia Wine Board.