Category: Wine News

Re-Opening Virginia – Our Plans During Phase 1

/ Warren / 6 Comments

Paul and I began this blog 15 years ago due to our desire to promote excellent wine being produced by Virginia winemakers. This has become both a hobby and a passion for both us, and we sorely miss being on the wine trails due to COVID-19 restrictions. The phase 1 of re-opening begins this weekend, and we are sure that winery owners and winemakers are relieved to see some light at the end of a bleak tunnel. Trust me, we are eager for a return to normal that includes a resumption of our local wine travels. However, we are taking a cautious stance on this matter and will be waiting a bit longer before hitting the wine trails. Here is why:

1. Health—-Paul suffered a heart attack in December and therefore belongs to a demographic that would struggle to recover from this vicious virus. He (and I, his spouse) would prefer to wait a while longer to be certain that it is indeed safe to venture out to the wineries. This leads me to reason #2:

2. Behavior of others during phase 1—-I predict that wineries will be descended upon by hoards of stir-crazy customers including “re-openers” who have been agitating for this to happen. We have seen similar scenes of crowds at beaches, restaurants, etc. in other states that have re-opened, and it was frightening to see the lack of regard for safety protocols put into place for re-opening. No face coverings + lack of social distancing=disregard for the health of others. Will a similar scenario play itself out at Virginia wineries? This leads me to reason #3:

3. Winery practices during phase 1—-We will pay attention to plans put forth by wineries to keep customers safe. Will there be enforcement of safety protocols? If so, how? Will there be a limit on crowds? Larger crowds=more touch points to maintain. Is it realistic to expect that bathrooms, for example, will be sanitized on a constant basis if unlimited numbers of customers are allowed to frequent the winery? If we decide to hit the wine trail later in phase 1, we intend to favor wineries that implement a reservations only/limited numbers approach, because that seems to be most realistic way of maintaining control over all factors mentioned here.

In the meantime, we will continue to order wine from Virginia wineries, participate in virtual wine tastings (we have learned so much from these), and pour Virginia wine at our virtual happy hours. To those who intend to venture out this weekend, please abide by safety practices put into place by the wineries so that they can indeed continue to carefully re-open. Of course, do enjoy yourselves, and let us know of a new release that you savored. Did you visit a winery that you read about on this blog? If so, please mention to your server that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

COVID and Impacts on Local Wineries

/ Warren / Leave a comment

The current COVID pandemic has impacted all of us in so many ways. One impact is the ability to visit and enjoy local wineries. Stay at home orders must be taken seriously, and local wineries have adjusted accordingly. Needless to say, this will have significant consequences for local wineries—-much of their products are sold directly from the winery. Of course, most wineries offer wine-related events such as vertical tastings, wine dinners, etc., and these have all been postponed or cancelled due to COVID. However, there are certain steps that readers can undertake to be certain that the wine keeps flowing from local wineries. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Visit winery websites or call wineries to order your favorite Virginia wines. Some may be waiving shipping fees during the current health crisis. Others may be offering specials on packs of certain wines. Keswick Vineyards, for example, offers three-packs of selected white wines, red wines, etc.

2. Find out when your favorite wineries are hosting virtual tastings and participate in them. Tailor these to coincide with wines that you have purchased online.

3. Host or attend a virtual happy hour and pour Virginia wine.

4. Find out if your favorite wineries are offering gift cards during the current crisis.

5. Purchase local wines from your neighborhood wine shop. If it does not offer local wines as a selection, now might be a good time to suggest to the proprietor that he/she does so.

6. Give shout outs to local wineries on social media when you are enjoying their wines.

Please feel free to add to the list! We are all anxious for the COVID crisis to be over; in the meantime, let’s all do what we must to stay healthy. Until we can all meet again at a favorite winery, consider the options listed above to support the local wine industry. Cheers from Virginia Wine Time!

2020 Governor’s Cup

/ Paul / Leave a comment

Virginia’s 868 Estate Vineyards Earns 2020 Governor’s Cup® with 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito

Top-ranked dessert wine joins 11 other gold medal-winning wines in the 2020 Governor’s Cup Case®

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam tonight awarded the Virginia Wineries Association’s 2020 Governor’s Cup® to 868 Estate Vineyards for their 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito. The winning wine was unveiled at the annual Governor’s Cup Celebration, which took place Tuesday evening at the Main Street Station in Richmond.

All wines in the Governor’s Cup competition must be made from 100 percent Virginia fruit, but the 868 Vidal ‘Passito’ represents the first winner made entirely from Loudoun County fruit. Produced by the Italian ‘appassimento’ technique of partially drying grapes to concentrate flavor, the winemaker halts the fermentation early to retain the natural grape sugar in the final product.

“I am thrilled to award the Governor’s Cup to Carl DiManno and congratulate the whole team at 868 Estate Vineyards on their sweet finish,” said Governor Northam. “The Vidal Blanc Passito embodies both the experimentation and artistry that has made Virginia the leading East Coast destination for wine. This year’s Governor’s Cup case is a strong reflection of our world-class wine industry and the distinctive wines being produced in our Commonwealth.”

Alongside 868 Estate Vineyards 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito, the 11 wines included in the 2020 Governor’s Cup Case are:

Afton Mountain Vineyards Tradition (2017)
Barboursville Vineyards Octagon (2014)
Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino Reserve (2018)
Delaplane Cellars Williams Gap (2017)
Lake Anna Winery Tannat (2017)
Michael Shaps Wineworks Meritage (2016)
Pippin Hill Vineyards Petit Verdot (2017)
Pollak Vineyards Cabernet Franc Reserve (2017)
Pollak Vineyards Smuggler (2017)
Rockbridge Vineyard Vd’Or (2017)
Shenandoah Vineyards Shenandoah Reserve Red (2017)

“I am pleased to see a team like that of 868 Estate Vineyards win with a hybrid grape—a rarity for the competition,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “With two dessert wines in the Governor’s Cup case alongside creative blends with grapes such as Tannat, it is clear that 2020 is another unique year for Virginia wine.”

More than 530 Virginia wines were submitted into this year’s Governor’s Cup competition. A panel of 19 judges, directed by Jay Youmans one of only 51 Masters of Wine (MW) in the United States, sampled the wines over a four-week period and awarded gold medals to those scoring 90 points or higher.

Within the case, there is wide representation from most regions of Virginia, most notably Central Virginia, with eight wines included. Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley are also represented with two wines each. The broad geographical diversity highlights Virginia winemakers’ ability to listen to their land and navigate the Commonwealth’s varied landscape and conditions.

At Tuesday’s celebration, the Virginia Wineries Association also announced its Industry Awards, which are presented to industry members who show excellence in their craft and act as advocates for Virginia Wine. This year’s winners are:

Virginia Wine Person of the Year: Justin Rose of Rosemont Winery, who helped establish and currently runs the 27-acre vineyard and its 6,000 annual case production

David King Advocate of the Year: George Hodson, CEO of Veritas Vineyards and Winery, president and principal of Flying Fox Vineyards, and president of the Monticello Wine Trail

Gordon Murchie Lifetime Achievement Award: Randy Phillips, general manager of Cave Ridge Vineyard and Winery in the Shenandoah Valley

Now in its 38th year, the Governor’s Cup competition is a result of a partnership among the Virginia Wine Board, the Virginia Vineyards Association, and the Virginia Wineries Association, which owns and manages the competition. Ciders and fruit wines have their own category and medalists.

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.

A complete list of previous Governor’s Cup winners and information about the Virginia wine industry is available here.

All the information in this post is provided by a press release from the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office.