If the Virginia wine business was as strong as it is now while I was at the University of Richmond, my drinking choices would have been a bit more broad than Southern Comfort, Schlitz, and Glog from the local steakhouse that all parents and “special” dates frequented. Perhaps I would have swirled some Merlot from Northern Virginia or Chambourcin from the Shenandoah Valley. I may have sipped some Viognier from the Charlottesville area or savored some Chardonnay from Tidewater. I couldn’t then, but I sure can now!
Even though the Jamestown settlers began making wine from native grapes, it wasn’t until Thomas Jefferson, a frequent traveller to France and most likely America’s first wine snob, employed two Italian vintners (I’ll have to do more research to discover how all of that came to be) to work some land near Monticello in order to produce wine which could rival those in Europe (and to produce wine for his really large wine habit), that serious wine growing was undertaken. (And yes, I know this was a crazy run-on sentence, but if you really read it, it works.) But as bad luck would have it, the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and Prohibition greatly affected the fledgling wine endeavors of our Virginia fathers. In other words, how can you have optimal growing conditions with bullets, lost boots, and moonshine stills in the terroir – not to mention the devaluation of the confederate coins??
You can’t, so the renaissance of Old Dominion’s wine industry had to wait…until the 1970s when Italian (another Italian!) vintner Gianni Zonin hired Gabriele Rausse to grow and harvest grapes near Charlottesville. Barboursville Vineyards was subsequently established and those at the vineyard assisted other interested Virginia winemakers to move forward, so.. voila! The now thriving Virginia wine industry is receiving much recognition including kudos from Travel + Leisure Magazine’s Bruce Schoenfeld who says that Virginia is one of the up and coming wine regions. And in mid-November, Governor and First Lady McDonnell promoted Virginia wine in India. At their reception in Mumbai, Sanjay Menon, one of India’s top wine importers, retailers, and connoisseurs (and a member of Decanter Magazine’s power list top 1oo personalities in the world of wine), gave a brilliant review of Virginia wine.
If my Greatly Abbreviated Version of the History of the Virginia Wine Industry isn’t enough for you, there are many good websites in order to learn more. If you only choose one, try my favorite, www.virginiawine.org , for its breadth of information, detailed map of the Virginia wine country, and links to many good wineries in the Commonwealth.
I was in Williamburg to visit family for Thanksgiving and although I wanted to go to wineries in the Charlottesville area on Saturday, there was something called football which precluded the two hour trip west. So, four of us went to two wineries between Williamsburg and Richmond and barely made it back for the North Carolina/Duke and Wisconsin/Michigan State games. Frankly, I was skeptical about any wineries east of Richmond since if you’ve ever been to the Tidewater area, it’s rather flat and not exactly where you think a vineyard should be located. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
At the Williamsburg Winery, www.williamsburgwinery.com, we had a lovely tasting given by the adorable Neely, who did an very nice job of explaining seven wines to an eclectic group of eight. Among the wines were their 2008 Samuel Argall Dry Riesling made from 100% Riesling grapes from New York and Washington State and a 2006 Gabriel Archer Reserve with 34% Cabernet Franc, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot. A treat was the Vin Licoreux de Framboise consisting of Merlot with raspberry juice which would be perfect over ice cream, cheesecake, or (let’s not kid ourselves) by itself. However, my favorite was…
- 2007 Vintage Reserve Chardonnay – This wine was made with 100% Chardonnay grapes and was aged in French American and Hungarian oak barrels for eight months. It was creamy and lush with some floral and tropical notes. Full bodied and with a clean finish, I bought a bottle for $24.00.
The New Kent Winery, www.NewKentWinery.com, was the next stop which was about thirty minutes west towards Richmond. The tasting room was bright and large with a long bar area to accommodate about sixteen guests. Robert was our host and he was quite engaging and knowledgeable. He made a point of suggesting food pairings to accompany the wines we tasted as well as a brief explanation about the wine making process (yes, brief, but that was all many could handle!). The wines offered at the tasting included their Meritage consisting of cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot . Believe me, the blast of black cherries was amazingly delicious! Another notable wine was the Vidal Blanc which was clean and fruity having been fermented in stainless steel tanks – it’s a great sipping wine. That stated, my favorite wine from New Kent was…
- 2009 Chardonnay Reserve – Are you getting the idea that I was in a Chardonnay frame of mind? Yep. This particular Chardonnay was fermented in oak barrels and aged “sur lie” which means that the wine was aged on the yeast cells. With an even more body and rich oaky feel on the palate than the Williamsburg choice, this wine at $24.00 was a winner with the rest of the family when I returned home to watch the games.
If you ever have the opportunity to go to Virginia, make a point of stopping by a nearby winery or at the very least, the local town’s tasting room and try some of the representative wines, most of which I haven’t even mentioned because if I had, this post would be even longer to read. As with all regions, the wines may not be what you expect, but so what??? It will just another “grape experience” which you may actually enjoy! Because right now, Virginia is for *wine* lovers – and that’s just what I am!
Cheers from a Virginia “girl”~ Cindy
