No wonder Thomas Jefferson started making wine at his home Monticello in the 1770s. The eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge and the rolling countryside to the east offer excellent topography, fertile granite-based clay soil and a growing season of over 200 days. This combination yields grapes with a rich and multilayered old world flavor. You’ll find numerous wineries clustered around Charlottesville and to its north, several south of Lynchburg, and a few east and closer to Richmond. You’ll also find plenty to see and do year-round. The Richmond and Petersburg areas offer Civil War battlefields and cultural attractions; Charlottesville, the University of Virginia and a captivating downtown pedestrian mall; Wintergreen, hiking, golf and snow skiing; and Lynchburg, four colleges and the launch site for the annual Batteaux Festival, where crews dressed in period clothing navigate their flat-bottom boats down the James River to Richmond.Central Virginia wineries produce Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Merlot, Muscat Canelli, Muscat of Alexandria, Norton, Orange Muscat, Petit Manseng, Petit Verdot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Rkatsiteli, Sauvignon Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Syrah, Tannat, Touriga Nacional, Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Viognier and Zinfandel.
The Monticello AVA is in the central Piedmont area. The area is nestled along the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains and encompasses the small ridge known as Southwest Mountain. It is historic in that it is home to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, where Jefferson spent years trying to grow European grape varieties.
The Bedford Wine Trail in the Central Virginia region includes 5 vineyards and wineries surrounding Bedford.
www.bedfordwinetrail.com
The Heart of Virginia Wine Trail in Central Virginia presents several events throughout the year at 4 wineries located in the central region of the state.
www.hovawinetrail.com
The Monticello Wine Trail leads to 24 wineries from its hub in Charlottesville.
www.monticellowinetrail.com
The SoVA Wine Trail, which those "in the know" refer to as "SoVA" was established in Spring 2009 by an enthusiastic group of grape growers/wine makers with 9 wineries located in Southern Virginia. Southern Virginia is an up-and-coming grape-growing region that hosts a unique and ideal terroir for growing a vast variety of grapes for fine wine making.
www.sovawinetrail.com