Virginia Wine News
Winepress: Virginia vs. California Wines: Closing the Gap
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A couple of years ago, I was talking with a friend from California about wine, extolling on the quality wines my husband and I were finding in Virginia. She flinched, scrunched up her nose as if she'd smelled something bad, and emitted the sentence I typically hear when bringing up Virginia wines: "Ewww. I think Virginia wine is terrible."
A few weeks later, I invited her to dinner and poured a rich, robust Bordeaux-style Virginian wine from Linden Vineyards. Of course, I didn't tell her where it came from.
She took a sip and began raving. "This is fabulous. What is it?" When I told her it was a Virginia wine, she nearly fell on the floor...
Debra Gordon Daily Press — Feb 02, 2010
In Vino Veritas: Area Wine Is In Seriously Good Health
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I first visited Monticello in 2001. There I was, a Jersey boy, soaking in a jewel of the commonwealth, welling up with patriotism as a guide told the story of Thomas Jefferson's last words, "Is it the Fourth?" before he died on Independence Day. Combine this Jeffersonia with stunning vistas, my affection for regional delicacies, and the date (July 3), and you've got a red-hot customer for Virginia souvenirs...
Jason Tesauro The Free Lance-Star — Nov 29, 2009
Drinking local at the White House dinner
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It wasn't just local foods that were celebrated last night at President Obama's first state dinner. The menu also featured a Virginia wine. The president, his guest of honor, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and invited members of D.C.'s elite washed down pumpkin pie tart and pear tatin with Thibaut-Janisson blanc de chardonnay, from the Monticello district near Charlottesville...
Dave McIntyre The Washington Post — Nov 25, 2009
Loudoun County Cultivates a Fast-Growing Wine Industry
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"The diversity of varietals is what sets Loudoun County wine apart," said Lori Corcoran, co-owner with her husband, Jim, of Corcoran Vineyards and president of the Loudoun Wineries Association. Corcoran herself is bullish on malbec. Harris at Tarara is betting on syrah. At Chrysalis, near Middleburg, Jennifer McCloud champions Norton as Virginia's native grape, but her albariño has proved so successful that at least two other Loudoun wineries, Sunset Hills and Willowcroft, are now growing it. David Collins at Breaux Vineyards produces nebbiolo that brings a taste of Piemonte to the Piedmont.
Dave McIntyre The Washington Post — Oct 14, 2009
Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail is the toast of Virginia
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The Northern Neck, the northern-most of Virginia's three peninsulas on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay, was the birthplace of George Washington. But to some, this lush and laid-back region 2 1/2 hours from Washington, D.C., has an equally important claim to fame: It boasts a winemaking history dating back 400 years and is currently home to some of the county's hottest wine producers. What better time to visit the Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail than October - the 21st Virginia Wine Month, with many events planned? Award-winning, artisanal products are showcased by nine Northern Neck boutique wineries, each with a background nearly as tantalizing as the wine...
Sherry Amatenstein NY Daily Progress — Oct 11, 2009
Eat, drink and celebrate Virginia’s Wine Month
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Virginia wines continue to impress. Honors and accolades cite the quality of the wine -- 67 state wines won medals in the International Eastern Wine Competition, which featured entries from 16 countries and 34 U.S. states this year. Many of the state's 148 wineries offer their wares, including award winners, at wine festivals or in tasting rooms. When wine month in Virginia starts tomorrow, festivals, tasting rooms and special wine events will take place just about everywhere from the Eastern Shore to the Blue Ridge Mountains and all points in between...
Jack Berninger Richmond Times Dispatch — Sep 30, 2009
A Mixed Case
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Even connoisseurs may not know what to expect from a Virginia wine with a proprietary name such as Hardscrabble. After all, wine buyers in the United States, and most of the rest of the world, have shown a clear preference for varietals — wines labeled by grape variety. But as comforted as consumers may be to find a familiar variety such as Chardonnay prominently on the label, many Virginia winemakers are gambling on upscale blends. Since they are not entitled to varietal names and, therefore, require hard-to-decipher labels that can be a drag on sales, why the gamble, especially in these difficult economic times?
Jim Raper Virginia Business Magazine — Sep 28, 2009
4 Wine Country Contenders
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(Budget Travel) -- Perhaps they're not the first place you think of when it comes to wineries, but these four regions offer character and great wine, without the hoopla.
Charlottesville, Virginia
Virginia's premier wine country, dotted with working farms and over 1,000 acres of grape vines, spreads out around the city of Charlottesville in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains...
Thomas Berger, Beth Collins and Alison Rohrs Budget Travel — Sep 01, 2009
Judgement of Paris
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On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the end of May in the town of Paris, Virginia—an hour’s easy drive from DC—a telling event took place. It had been inspired by a 1976 winetasting in Paris, France, that did the unthinkable: It compared some of the top names in French wine with new and little-known wines from California. The results shook the wine world...
Wayne Nelson Washingtonian.com — Sep 01, 2009
End of Summer Road Trips
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Check out this clip from NBC Today Show - tips for visiting VA wineries in central VA (fast forward to 2:30 minutes into the video).
NBC Today Show NBC Today Show — Aug 25, 2009