{"id":45560,"date":"2024-02-27T17:12:48","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T16:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/?p=45560"},"modified":"2024-02-29T18:10:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T17:10:14","slug":"virginia-wines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/27\/virginia-wines\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia wines are ready to be savored in France, rich from their American wine terroir"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Admire this breathtaking view from those vines<\/strong>, bordering one of those countless Virginia<\/strong> lakes..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nestled between the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains to the western side and the Chesapeake Bay to the eastern side, the American state of Virginia is emerging as a booming wine destination in the United States. Long overshadowed by more renowned wine regions such as California and Oregon, Virginia is now claiming its place on the global wine map, offering to worldwide connoisseurs<\/em> a diverse palette<\/em> of unique grape varieties and terroirs. <\/strong>This was made possible thanks to varied terroir<\/em>, since the Virginia’s territory benefits of a wide variety of microclimates and soils, providing winemakers with a rich and diverse backdrop for growing a vast range of grape varieties. Those Virginia Wines will be more and more available in France, that’s why we are glad to introduce some of them to you. <\/strong>By AP<\/em><\/p>\n

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..this daily celebration<\/strong> of identity from a singular terroir<\/strong><\/em>. that’s worth raising a glass<\/strong> to..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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What’s happening here is bigger than a drink<\/strong><\/em>, but a reclaim a new way of wines<\/strong><\/em>.. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

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..mainly because of the diverse growing Virginia<\/strong>‘s grapes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A wide variety of grapes<\/strong> can be found in Virginia<\/strong>.. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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..are taking center stage<\/strong> in Virginia<\/strong>, as can testify this ros\u00e9<\/em> wine<\/strong> package.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Grape varieties<\/strong> like Viognier<\/em><\/strong>, Cabernet<\/strong><\/em> Franc<\/strong><\/em>, Petit Manseng<\/strong><\/em> and Petit Verdot<\/strong><\/em>..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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..with their diverse terroir<\/strong><\/em>, commitment to sustainability<\/strong>, and passion for craftsmanship<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Virginia wines<\/strong> embody the spirit of innovation<\/strong> that characterizes modern American viticulture<\/strong>.. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

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More details on the official website<\/strong><\/a> of the Virginia Wine Board<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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..with this selection of tasty red wines<\/strong>, but not only, if you are more curious.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Those winemakers<\/strong> are well-positioned to captivate the palates of wine lovers<\/strong>..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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ngg_shortcode_0_placeholderMore details on their official website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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..an exploration of this domain<\/strong> promises a sensory<\/strong> adventure.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Whether you are a seasoned connoisseur<\/strong><\/em> or a curious neophyte<\/strong>.. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Furthermore, since 1858<\/strong>, the Rosemont Estate<\/strong><\/em><\/a> has been owned by the Rose Family<\/strong>, spanning 450 acres<\/strong> in south-central LaCrosse<\/strong> in Virginia<\/strong>. The knowledge of their surrounding lands<\/strong>, combined with modern winemaking techniques<\/strong>, are able to produce premium handcrafted wines <\/strong>(photo credits: Rosemont Estate<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Thus, all of those wines<\/strong> are 100% estate-grown<\/strong>, produced, and directly bottled on the Rosemont Estate<\/strong><\/em>. Being involved in every aspect of winemaking<\/strong>, from bud break<\/strong>, passing by harvest<\/strong>, to bottling<\/strong>, allows the production of wines<\/strong> with the highest quality wines<\/strong> that showcase this so much acclaimed Virginia terroir<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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ngg_shortcode_1_placeholderMore details on their official website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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..be ready for a lot of surprises within those bottles<\/strong>, whose corks<\/strong> must not remain intact.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Imbued with the very essence<\/strong> of this large vineyard<\/strong>, rich in history and tradition..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

Then, in 1985<\/strong>, the first Chardonnay<\/strong><\/em> grapes were planted, leading to a first successful harvest<\/strong> in 1987<\/strong>, proving the vineyard<\/strong> operation expansion. Years after years, many impressive varietals<\/strong> arose, expanding on the highly coveted collection of Williamsburg Winery<\/strong><\/em> wines, carefully taken in charge by Stacey Lightfoot<\/strong>.<\/div>\n
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ngg_shortcode_2_placeholderMore details on their official website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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..especially if you as well look for wine tuitions<\/strong>, this option is proposed in their Wine Bar<\/strong><\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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If you look for gastronomic<\/strong> wines<\/strong>, you knock at the right door….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains<\/strong>, the Early Mountain Vineyards<\/strong><\/em> is a pristine 350 acre<\/strong> property, surrounded by rolling hills<\/strong> and pastoral farms<\/strong>, in the bucolic Madison County <\/strong>(photo credits: Early Mountain Vineyards)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Proud of a strong commitment<\/strong> to their beautiful vineyards<\/strong>, as well as a fervent territory<\/strong>‘s expression, those Early Mountain Vineyards<\/strong><\/em>, managed by Maya Hood White<\/strong>, promote a genuine high-end wines<\/strong> and crafts some Virginia<\/strong>‘s ascent as a renowned wine region<\/strong>, all over the World<\/strong>.<\/div>\n
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\nMore details on their official website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
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..a notable<\/strong> touch to find again in their delicious sparkling<\/strong> range.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This winery<\/strong> is lead by a French<\/strong> winegrower<\/strong>, for more exoticism..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Established in 1998<\/strong>, let’s have a closer look this time on the King Family Vineyards<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, better known as a family-owned<\/strong> and operated<\/strong> winery. Located again in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains<\/strong> in Crozet<\/strong>, their vineyards<\/strong> are just 15 minutes away from Charlottesville<\/strong>. Specializing in the production of premium wines<\/strong>, that are able to showcase the remarkable quality<\/strong> and terroir<\/strong><\/em> of the Monticello AVA<\/strong><\/em>. Starting here with carefully selected grapes<\/strong>, the winemaker Matthieu Finot<\/strong> is glad to share wines<\/strong>, which are inspired by his native French<\/strong> lands, but undoubtedly tainting them with this incomparable Virginian<\/strong> expression (photo credits: King Family Vineyards)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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ngg_shortcode_4_placeholder<\/div>\n
More details on their official website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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..and you can be sure to already find their Virginia wines<\/strong> in their Meursault<\/strong> domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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From Virginia<\/strong> to Burgundy<\/strong>, this winery<\/strong> proposes a large panoramic<\/strong> view..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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ngg_shortcode_5_placeholder<\/div>\n
More details on their official website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/div>\n
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Nestled between the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains to the western side and the Chesapeake Bay…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":45630,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1640],"tags":[1045,1019,1636,1052,190,1637,409],"class_list":["post-45560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gastronomy","category-usa","tag-american-wine","tag-millesime","tag-united-states","tag-usa","tag-vineyard","tag-virginia","tag-wine"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45560"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45713,"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45560\/revisions\/45713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/francevisiting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}