Virginia wines are ready to be savored in France, rich from their American wine terroir

From the rolling hills of the Piedmont area to the fertile river valleys of central Virginia, each region brings its own stamp to the state’s wine palette. While traditional European grape varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Viognier thrives in Virginia, local winemakers also aren’t afraid to experiment with less conventional varieties (photo credits: Virginia Wines).

Indeed, grapes such as Petit Verdot, Petit Manseng and Tannat are finding their way into this plural state’s vineyards, logically adding a touch of originality to this amazing local wine scene.

 

Adding to this, many Virginia wineries embrace sustainable agricultural practices, emphasizing a certain environmental preservation and a long-term vision regarding health of their vineyards. This can be illustrated by plenty of initiatives, such as water management, soil conservation and biodiversity, have become priorities for many producers, somehow demonstrating their commitment to protecting this precious land that nourishes their vines. Without forgetting that most of the Virginia wineries are honored to enjoy the region’s warm and authentic hospitality, while tasting an impressive array of local wines.

From small family-owned wineries to award-winning wineries, each stop offers a unique experience, infused with the distinctive character of its terroir. Therefore, you could learn a lot about Virginia wines, just by looking at a map, and eventually figure out that Virginia sits halfway between Europe and California. An ideal position that offer those unique wines, their aromatic, expressive and beautifully balanced structure, blending the subtlety of some Old Europe‘s touch with the boldness of the American hills. By the way, the average size of vineyard farms is around 40 acres, meaning that Virginia wines are local and artisanal, avoiding any mass-production.

Moreover, the Virginia‘s mixed landscape and unpredictable weather conditions usually allow for more than 30 types of grape varieties to be cultivated across to regions and within no less than 8 AVAs. By the way, the majority of vines are planted in Northern and Central Virginia, although high-quality wines can be found throughout the entire state, plus there is an even split between red and white grape production. Over the years, Virginia wines have gained recognition and respect, either on the national and international scene, notably by winning prestigious awards and attracting the attention of worldwide critics. 

 

As the state’s wine industry continues to grow and expand, it is clear that Virginia wines are no longer just a regional curiosity, but a real force which began as a scattered handful of wineries. In fact, this amount would approach from 50 entities in the mid-90s until reaching nowadays more than 300 wineries, with standards raised higher. Icing on the cake, the economic impact of the Virginia wine industry is substantial, since it has created more than 10,000 jobs and generates approximately $1.75 billion annually. In addition, Virginia‘s wineries are a top tourist destination, counting more than 2.64 million people visit each year.

Let’s start our wine tour with the Paradise Springs Winery, located in Clifton, sitting on a historic 36 acre property, just outside of Washington DC. For your information, this holy land was granted to the Kincheloe family in 1716. In parallel of various neighboring vineyard sites around the state of Virginia, the Paradise Springs domain produces approximately 10,000 cases of wine annually, supervised by Rob Cox. In 2014, the Paradise Springs entity opened a second winery location in California, and more precisely in Santa Barbara, and even some plans are underway for a third winery operation outside of Charlottesville, still in Virginia.

 

More details on their official website.

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We pursue with the Wessex Hundred farm, which is home to 400 acres of woods, fields, gardens and of course vineyards, embodied by the Williamsburg Winery. So to say, back in 1983, when Patrick Duffeler purchased an abandoned farm, composed 300 acres, and ideally overlooking College Creek and Pate’s Creek (photo credits: Williamsburg Winery).

Then, in 1985, the first Chardonnay grapes were planted, leading to a first successful harvest in 1987, proving the vineyard operation expansion. Years after years, many impressive varietals arose, expanding on the highly coveted collection of Williamsburg Winery wines, carefully taken in charge by Stacey Lightfoot.

 

 

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Early Mountain Vineyards is a pristine 350 acre property, surrounded by rolling hills and pastoral farms, in the bucolic Madison County (photo credits: Early Mountain Vineyards).

Proud of a strong commitment to their beautiful vineyards, as well as a fervent territory‘s expression, those Early Mountain Vineyards, managed by Maya Hood White, promote a genuine high-end wines and crafts some Virginia‘s ascent as a renowned wine region, all over the World.

 

 

 

More details on their official website.

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Last but not least, recently founded in 2007, the very active Michael Shaps Wineworks are situated in the southern part of Charlottesville. Within the first year of operations, the opportunity arose to develop authentic Virginia’s first contract winemaking operation, in order to make wine for independent winegrowers, who wished to own their own wine label. Apart from this, the Michael Shaps Wineworks, run by Michael Shaps himself, are as well known for their innovation and winemaking expertise. Indeed, Michael Shaps has decided to establish himself at the forefront of the modern Virginia wine industry, particularly by owning and operating his other Maison Shaps, based in Burgundy, in France (photo credits: Michael Shaps Wineworks).

 

More details on their official website.

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