2024 Virginia Governor's Cup Gala and the Gold Medal Wine Trail

On March 7th, Virginia wine fans and industry personnel gathered at Richmond's Main Street Station to taste and converse with the producers of the Gold medal winning wines from the 2024 Governor's Cup Competition. Out of 752 entries, 138 gold medals were awarded representing 79 different wineries. In addition, the wineries representing the top 12 wines belonging to the Governor's Case Club were introduced with Governor Glenn Youngkin announcing the winner of the overall competition. This honor was bestowed on King Family Vineyards for their 2019 Meritage -- a blend of estate grown Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec -- and produced by winemaker Matthieu Finot.

Before this announcement Buskey Cider was awarded the Best in Show Cider for their Ruby Red Crab Apple. The Richmond based cidery produces this dry cider using 100% Virginia grown ruby red crab apples. According to the cidery, "..fermented to completely dry, these apples were chosen for their high acid, tannin, and mouth-puckering fruit character".

The Gala itself was a fantastic event -- from the location to the food to the fabulous wines. Shoutout to Chef Leah Branch of The Roosevelt for the Lobster Hushpuppies; Chef Dale Reitzer of Acacia for the Smoked Bluefish Salad; and oysters from the Rappahannock Oyster Co. 

On the wine side we used the opportunity to catch up with old friends and acquaintances such as the crew at Paradise Springs Winery and to taste their excellent 2022 Petit Manseng. Michael Shaps Wineworks had multiple Gold winning wines including another Petit Manseng. A third Gold winning Petit Manseng was produced by newcomer Southwest Mountains Vineyards. This Keswick winery also poured a delicious 2021 Cabernet Franc -- put this winery on your radar. Half a dozen Albariño wines were awarded Gold medals included one from another new winery, 7 Lady Vineyards, but also from several we previously tasted at 8 Chains North Winery, Afton Mountain Vineyards, Cana Vineyards, October One Vineyard, and Potomac Point Winery & Vineyard.

A few other producers that we plan on following up with are Muse Vineyards, Ankida Ridge Vineyards, Breaux Vineyards, Carriage House Wineworks, Capstone Vineyards, and Black Heath Meadery. Look forward to future posts regarding their Gold winning wines. 

The downside to the event is that the three-hour time period was way too short to meet all the winemakers and sip all the wines. Fortunately Virginia Wine has instituted a Gold Medal Wine Trail where consumers can explore Virginia wine country and sip these award winning wines. We obviously prefer theCompass Craft Beverage Finder, but recommend downloading this mobile passport. 

Photo Courtesy of Virginia Wine

Governor's Case Club:

• Afton Mountain Vineyards, 2019 T
• Barboursville Vineyards, 2019 Paxxito
• Bluestone Vineyard, 2017 Petit Verdot
• Breaux Vineyards, 2019 The Fog Nebbiolo Reserve
• Cave Ridge Vineyard, 2019 Fossil Hill Reserve
• Cross Keys Vineyards, Blanc De Noir
• Hark Vineyards, 2019 Spark
• King Family Vineyards, 2019 Meritage (Winner of the Virginia Governor’s Cup)
• Michael Shaps Wineworks, 2020 L.Scott
• Mountain and Vine Vineyards and Winery, 2022 Chardonnay
• October One Vineyard, 2022 Albariño
• Paradise Springs Winery, 2022 Petit Manseng

Virginia Wine Chat - Virginia Governor's Case Wines - Part II

Last week we posted on the first phase of the Virginia Wine Chat in Virginia Wine Chat - Virginia Governor's Case Wines - Part 1. A couple days later we focused on the second half dozen wines with most affiliated with longtime Virginia winemaker Michael Shaps.  The tasting started with two white wines, one from Virginia's always reliable Barboursville Vineyards, the other from Michael Shaps and another example of how Petit Manseng is rising in stature.  These were followed by three red wines - all made by Michael Shaps - but for three different wineries.  And finally, the session ended with a dessert Petit Manseng which illustrates how the grape's natural acidity elevates the addition of residual sugar.  Next month the results of the 2020 Virginia Governor's Cup Competition will be released.  I'm sure Shaps and Barboursville will be among the gold medalist winners.


Barboursville Vineyards 2017 Reserve Vermentino
Tastes like Vermentino: saline minerality, herbaceousness, lemon peel, and lively acids

Michael Shaps Wineworks 2016 Petit Manseng ($30)
The wine maintains the grape's inherent bright tropical characters and acidity and provides a newly discovered depth and weight.

Upper Shirley Vineyards 2014 Zachariah ($40)
This blend is full-bodied where the dark cherry flavors lead to dusty tannins and an easy finish.

Hamlet Vineyards 2016 Eltham ($27)
This 50-50 Merlot/Petit Verdot blend provides dense fruit, chewy tannins, and a spicy long finish as the acids linger.

Michael Shaps Wineworks 2015 Tannat ($35)
This wine is dense with tobacco & leather, sticky tannins and plenty of acids to lay this down for a while.

Michael Shaps Wineworks Raisin d'Être White 2016 ($25.00)
This dessert wine is composed of Petit Manseng that has been dried in tobacco barns where the raisining increases the sugar to 36%.  It shows honey, orange, tropics, candied fruit - and lively acids.

Virginia Wine Chat - Virginia Governor's Case Wines - Part 1

The 2020 Virginia Governor's Cup Competition is currently being judged and the results will be released next month, so the 2019 Case Club Awardees are taking a final victory lap appearing in Frank Morgan's Virginia Wine Chat.  The specific chat actually involves two sessions with the first held January 12th at Horton Vineyards, the reigning Governor's Cup winner for their 2016 Petit Manseng. Shannon Horton, daughter of founder Dennis Horton, represented the winery and was joined by two winemakers - Ben Jordan of Early Mountain Vineyards and Matthieu Finot of King Family Vineyards.  Their presence provided participants the opportunity to present questions on a range of topics particularly on the nature of Virginia Petit Manseng and the methodology behind blending trials.

The three presenters described the merits of Petit Manseng with Shannon Horton describing her loose clusters which provide an easier opportunity for the grapes to dry during humid weather. Horton also mentioned the grape's versatility with the inherent acids allowing a multitude of styles along the sweetness scale. And Ben Jordan mentioned how Petit Manseng is not a thirsty grape with respect to late-season rains. Growers do not need to fear grape degradation with Petit Manseng as she won't quaff the late summer or autumn rains and become bloated. According to Jordan, that is useful since other grapes could be harvested before the rains and Petit Mansen left for afterward.

As a response to my question regarding the methodology behind blending trials, the Early Mountain team responded via twitter.   To paraphrase, they develop ideas during fermentation and in January assemble trial blends (w/o actually blending). In the spring, they revisit the original ideas and blend again (different varieties, oak treatments). The goal is to finish the trials by the next harvest. I hope consumers appreciate the time and methodological nature involved when crafting your favorite blended wines.

The second session of the 2019 Virginia Case Club Wines continues on #WineChat this Thursday,  January 16th at 7:30pm ET. Hope to see you online. Cheers

Horton Vineyards Petit Manseng 2016 ($25)
The wine maintains the grape's inherent bright tropical characters and provides a newly discovered depth and weight.

Glen Manor Vineyards 2015 Cabernet Franc ($31.99)
Luscious, full-bodied, velvety, finishing with lifting acids and firm tannins. The wine is also devoid of the inherent green vegetal character and while receiving some oak, not overly so.

King Family Vineyards 2016 Mountain Plain ($69.95)
Beautiful wine, fresh and velvety red fruit, mint and leather, and integrated tannins.

King Family Vineyards 2016 Meritage ($36)
Big chewy wine, dark fruit, some tobacco, solid acids, and firm tannins.

Early Mountain Vineyards 2016 Eluvium ($39.99)
Great mouthfeel, dark bold fruit with some spice, leading to a light and dusty tannins. Thank you acids.

Paradise Springs Winery 2015 Meritage ($49)
Gripping leather surrounded by blackberries and baking spices. Long, lingering finish.

What's in the Barrel at Paradise Springs Winery?

During our Wednesday night #winechat featuring Viognier, we tasted and tweeted at Paradise Springs Winery. After the discussion, Kirk Wiles invited us to sample their 2011 vintage aging in barrel. Now, 2011 will be a challenging year - across the United States - even Mediterranean Napa Valley was affected by late season rain. In Virginia, the summer started off hot - with many grapes beginning to ripen on schedule. Then, in September, the weather cooled and the late season rains arrived. The grapes stopped maturing. Even worse, the grapes for one of the wines we tasted during #winechat, the 2011 Keswick Vineyards Les Vents d'Anges, were harvested the day after a hail storm. Can you image the condition of that fruit? Stephen Barnard performed admirably with that wine, and other winemakers will have work just as hard for their 2011 vintage.

At Paradise Springs, winemaker Rob Cox and assistant winemaker Michael Chang, are paying close attention to the wines in the tank and in the barrel. This evening we tasted Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Tannat, and Norton - all aging in different cooperages. For instance, they are aging Chardonnay in neutral and medium oak and will blend the components together before bottling. Most of the red wines are being aging in a reductive manner - where the wine may not be racked until bottling. The Cabernet Franc displayed this reductive character immediately, but once past the nose, the cherry fruit presents itself nicely. And the reduction will dissipate when racking at bottling. We also saw how the winery is the only Virginia winery to utilize a Chinese barrel. Yes, Chinese, from the Mongolicus forest. I believe it was the Malbec - and so far - so good. Yet, the biggest surprise was their Norton. Sourced from Chrysalis Vineyards, these grapes shrugged off the volatile weather as if laughing at the viniferia outsiders. Heat, humidity, cold, rain - so what. In barrel less than a couple months, the wine is already deep garnet in color with bright fruit flavors with none of the astringent acidity associated with new or poorly made Norton. This wine could be bottled today - it is that good now. And this wine, and how the grape responded to the 2011 season, justifies Jennifer McCloud's passion for Norton.

It's a #VAWine New Year's Eve

I feel like I've strayed a little off the farm lately, by consuming a great share of French, Austrian, and Eastern European wines, so to celebrate 2012, I decided upon an all Virginia New Year's Eve. For whites, you can't go wrong with the Glen Manor Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc and the Paradise Springs Winery Chardonnay. For reds, we are turning to the Mountfair Vineyards Engagement and the Gabriele Rausse Winery Cabernet Franc. And for the sparkling, the Barboursville Vineyards Brut and the Thibaut-Janisson Winery Millesime 2008 Blanc de Blancs Cuvee D'Etat. Thanks to Vienna Vintner for providing this gem. So as we close out 2011 and enter 2012, we look forward to a new year of DrinkingLocalWine.com. Have a safe, healthy, and happy New Year.

Paradise Springs Winery - Harvest Tour

This Sunday I found myself very close to Clifton Virginia and free of afternoon chores and took the opportunity to check out the new goods at Paradise Springs Winery. I had heard that the winery had released a Petit Verdot, Petit Mensing, and a sparkling Viognier which I hadn't sampled before, but the best surprise was discovering their weekend Harvest Tours. The tour costs $15 and are available twice on Saturday and once on Sunday. While sampling practically their entire portfolio, participants explore the historical log cabin, estate vineyard, crush pad, and barrel room. We started on the front porch of the tasting room with a glass of Sparkling Viognier. Considering this sparkler isn't available for tasting - tasting it was well worth the price of admission. Paradise Springs and Horton Vineyards have started a trend by fermenting Viognier via "Méthode Champenoise".

The tour then moved to the former tasting room located in the historic log cabin. While sampling the 2010 Chardonnay and Viognier, we learned how the cabin was renovated by Howard Richter, a protégé of the great Frank Lloyd Wright. Both wines seemed "oakier" than the 2009 versions - but were well received. In the basement tasting bar our host Richard poured the 2010 Petit Manseng, which was the driest of this varietal I have tasted in a while. Nice citrus aromas and flavors - this is a wine well worth trying. The tasting continued with a vertical of Sommet Blanc. The 2009 was produced from five grape varieties whereas the 2010 from three. As a consensus, we preferred the 2010 because it had a more floral aroma with less sugar.

Eventually we ventured out of the cabin into the estate to view the dormant grapes and start with the reds - the 2010 Petit Verdot and 2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. I definitely preferred the Reserve CS, the wine had flavor, structure, and a finish; whereas the PV seemed a little one dimensional. Onto the crush pad - we sampled their super red - the 2009 Meritage composed of the five Bordeaux grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Like the Reserve CS, this wine had a balanced profile from head to tail.

We finished the tour in the barrel room - adjacent to the main tasting area. Over a glass of light Norton, we explored the barrels to identify the aging Chambourcin Port (in used Bowman whiskey barrels), Tannat, Cabernet Franc, and various other wines. Needless to say, the Harvest Tour was a lot of fun. We look forward to returning on a Friday night to sample more wine and listen to some live music. Cheers.

Introducing Virginia Wine TV

The creators of MyJoogTV - who pair musicians with makers of fine wines, brews, spirits - have released a new series called Virginia Wine TV. This new series focuses exclusively on the wines and winemakers in the Commonwealth.

Paradise Springs Winery Wins 2010 Governor's Cup for White Wine

For those who pay attention to the Virginia Wine scene, this is already old news, but for those of you who don't, last night Paradise Springs Winery was awarded the 2010 Governor's Cup for their 2009 Chardonnay Reserve! That is the white wine version. (The red wine version was awarded to King Family Vineyards for their 2007 Meritage last winter.) This is a notable achievement for Paradise Springs, not only because they are such a young winery, and because it the first time since 1991 that a Chardonnay has won the award, but more importantly its redemption for the painful process they endured when opening the winery. We will let them re-tell that story or read about our previous visit here. Congratulations to Ms. Knicheloe, Kirk, and the rest of the crew.

Paradise Springs Winery, Clifton Virginia

After some winter hibernation, we finally ventured outside our domain and visited the latest, and closest, winery - Paradise Springs Winery. Located in historic Clifton, Virginia; this establishment is about 20 minutes, without traffic, from the Capital Beltway. Jane Kincheloe and her son Kirk Wiles have been planning its conception for the past 20 years and with the help of established wineries - crushed their first grapes (Sauvignon Blanc) in 2007. Fortunately, Winery at La Grange has additional capacity and will be used until their barn can be converted into a production facility. The barn has an interesting history. It was formerly located in the town of Fairfax, but in 1956, it "was taken apart, individually numbered, and reassembled piece by piece on the property". Not to be out done, the tasting room is located in a log cabin that was originally built between 1800 and 1825 and then renovated in 1955 by a protege of Frank Lloyd Wright. When you visit, spend a few minutes in the wine cellar - its re mindful of the European wine caves.

While planning their opening, Paradise Springs benefited from the camaraderie among Virginia winemakers. Its interesting to learn how other winemakers and growers continue to assist each other in the state. Sure there's competition, but simultaneously plenty of support. And Paradise Springs received plenty from the proprietors at Philip Carter Winery of Virginia, Pearmund Cellars, Winery at La Grange, and Corcoran Vineyards - among others.

However, there has been several setbacks along the way - and even more than the standard start-up issues. Their neighbors were not keen to a farm winery in the area and fought its establishment through the county government. Fortunately the County Supervisors were more sympathetic to their cause, as were the retail owners in downtown Clifton. Fortunately they did not have to experience the painful legal battles as Marterella Winery. Hopefully these troubles are behind them and their neighbors will warm to the idea of a tasting room nearby. I know I would.

For our visit today, Paradise Springs had a wide array of wines and styles waiting for us. We started with their Sauvignon Blanc which was a nice surprise. I've found that east coast versions have been extremely light and flavorless, but this was an exception. It was full of grapefruit flavor and had nice acidity - a good start to the tasting. Their Chardonnay is made in the sur lie style and aged nine months in French oak. The result is a another flavorful wine with a buttery finish. Paradise Springs couldn't be a Virginia winery without producing a Viognier and their version is okay; our apathy may result from the high standards that Virginia has established with this varietal. There is stiff competition for Viognier. Their most interesting wine is their "kitchen sink" Vidal Blanc - composed of 75% vidal and 10% Traminette, 7.5% Viognier, 5% Petit Manseng, and 2.5% Chardonnay. This is a fun wine - fuller than your average vidal with lots of balancing flavor. And even made with 1.1% r.s. - it felt like a dry wine.

Turning towards their reds, we started with their strawberry bomb, Nana's Rosé - a dry rosé blend made from equal parts Merlot and Tannat. I say strawberry bomb because this wine is all strawberry, from the nose to an unexpected explosion of berry flavor. I really liked it, however, I overheard another taster exclaim there was too much strawberry. That's why you need to taste and trust your own palate. Next was the 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, recently awarded a Silver medal in the state Governors Cup. This wine was aged 13 month and should age nicely with the string tannins. We have long dismissed Virginia made Cabernet Sauvignon - but times are a changing. With Keswick Vineyards version that was awarded the Governors Cup last year and others, including this version, its time to start taking Virginia produced cab more seriously. The other cab, Cabernet Franc, has no problems gaining credibility in the state and Paradise Springs produces is a nice medium bodied version. It has strong cherry flavors and a easy finish - making it drinkable now. The final wine was a 2008 Norton made from grapes sourced, not surprisingly, from the word's largest grower of Norton: Chrysalis Vineyards. The wine is aged six months in Hungarian Oak and they did a remarkable job removing the inherent acidity and grapey flavor that make poorly made Norton quite toxic. This is much better than many of the Norton's produced by established Virginia wineries and should even get better with another year or so to mellow in the bottle. Don't expect a 2009 Norton, because the grapes were damaged by uncooperative weather.

Despite problems with their neighbors, Paradise Springs is a welcome addition to the Virginia wine family. Its a nice attraction close to the Beltway so there's no need to journey too far out Route 66 for a quick indulgence. They can expect us to return quite often.