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Virginia Is For [Wine] Lovers
Virginia is for lovers. Everybody knows that. Or at least I assume that many people know that, as you can see these words on the billboards and in magazines. The original slogan was developed in 1969, stating that “Virginia is for beach lovers” and “Virginia is for history lovers”, before becoming just “Virginia is for lovers”.
That slogan also perfectly applies to our favorite subject here on these pages – wine. We can proclaim with conviction that Virginia is for wine lovers.
You might know that the love of wine in Virginia is tightly woven with American history. Thomas Jefferson was one of the original vintners in Virginia, tirelessly working at his Monticello estate to establish Vitis Vinifera plantings in his vineyard in the early 1800s. While he was not successful, his passion definitely survived to the present day, giving way to the top-notch, world-class wines produced in Virginia today.
My first encounter with Virginian wines was about 16 years ago, driven by the quest for rare grapes (also covered in one of the first 10 posts on this blog). I had an opportunity to visit Chrysalis Vineyards in Virginia to taste the wine made from the Norton grape – another historical connection to the Virginia wine scene, developed by Dr. Norton in 1825. During my visit, I found way more than just a delicious wine made from Norton, but also a full lineup of wines made from the classic French grapes. Ever since, I never had a doubt that Virginia makes world-class wine (except I can’t find them in Connecticut because … no… I’m not falling into the USA wine laws rant today…).
Recently, I was offered an opportunity to review and write about Virginian wines, which I gladly accepted. You already know that I hold Virginian wines in high regard, and they are largely not available in Connecticut, so this was a perfect opportunity to taste some new wines. I was a bit surprised when I got a full case, 12 bottles, of the wines from Virginia. The box contained no explanations, just a set of wines – one sparkling, 3 whites, and 8 reds.
I have randomly chosen a bottle of red to open, and boom – I’m blown away. Next bottle, red again – another OMG moment. At this point, I’m really curious, and I went online to research what wines I have received, and after checking a few wine names, I suddenly realized that I got not some random 12 wines from Virginia – no, I got the 2026 Governor’s Cup Case, 12 best of the best wines from Virginia.
Virginia Governor’s Cup originated in 1982 from a small tasting of Virginia wines during the Vintage Virginia Wine Festival, where about 50 people tasted the locally made wines. Starting in 1989, the event became an official competition, with the Governor of Virginia presenting the awards. In 2026, 670 wines, ciders, and meads entered the competition. 113 wineries received 224 Gold Medals, and the 12 highest-ranking red, white, and sparkling wines made up the Governor’s Cup Case.
Now I knew why each wine tasted better than the previous one… Well, whatever comes up, goes down, but that’s what makes the wine world so exciting. Keep reading, you will see what I’m talking about.
For what it’s worth, here are my notes in the order I tasted the wines:
2023 Fifty-Third Winery Two Springs Red Blend Monticello AVA (13% ABV, 73% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot)
Bright Ruby color
Fresh berries, Malbec-like, blackberries, raspberries, eucalyptus
Beautiful fresh berries, almost crunchy but juicy, eucalyptus, perfectly balancing acidity, firm structure.
8+, a wow wine.
2023 Glen Manor Vin Rouge Virginia (13.4% ABV, 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 4% Petite Verdot)
Beautiful Garnet
Eucalyptus, mint, freshly crushed red berries
Beautiful, supple, generally with layers of energy. A hint of cassis, beautiful fluffy texture, well integrated tannins and perfect balance. A delight.
8+, superb pop’n’pour
2024 Granite Heights Humility Virginia (12.7% ABV, 100% Lagrein)
Brilliant garnet
Fresh black and red fruit, eucalyptus
Stunning. Lip-smacking, gobs of fruit, wild, succulent berries, perfectly woven around a generous but firm core. Layers of pleasure, perfect balance. Wow.
8+/9-, superb.
2023 Pollack Vineyards Merlot Reserve Monticello (14.5% ABV, 100% Merlot, 80% Clone 343, 20% Clone 181, 18 months in French oak barrels)
Purple and inky
Cherries, spices, a whiff of bell pepper, eucalyptus
A celebration in the mouth – lots of succulent fruit, black cherries, blackberries, black currant, just gobs of it, smothered over eucalyptus leaves, dusted with black pepper. Voluptuous, generous, perfectly balanced. A pleasure.
8+/9-
2019 Trump Blanc de Blancs Brut Sparkling Wine Monticello (12.5% ABV, 48 months on lees)
Light straw, fine mousse
The nose is screaming “classic, classic, classic” – toasted bread, brioche, yeast
A perfectly classic palate, with toasted bread, apples, bright acidity, and perfect balance
8+, a pure pleasure, happy to drink it every day
2023 7 Lady Vineyards Meritage Virginia (13.9% ABV, 44% Merlot, 37% Petit Verdot, 19% Cabernet Franc)
Dark garnet
Ripe dark fruit, intense
Overly ripe fruit on the palate, almost stewed, some sweet mocha, a big wine
7, a first disappointment. The wine was too heavy, needed more acidity and more balance. Even the second day was still too heavy. A double disappointment as the bottle (a BAB) looked very promising…
2024 The Winery at La Grange Petit Manseng Virginia (13.9% ABV)
Golden color
Honey, honeysuckle, white plums, herbs
Candied white fruit, lemon and honey, good acidity.
Strange. I can drink it, but to say that I love it would be a lie.
7+, I must be missing something. Perhaps it should be good with food, some spicy Asian dish or maybe sharp cheese.
2023 Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc Virginia (13.7% ABV)
Dark garnet.
Upon opening, the wine was “too much” – jammy fruit all over the place. After about 30 minutes in the glass, the wine settled down to a leaner, drinkable version.
2nd day notes:
Cassis, cherries, eucalyptus, a touch of mint. Open and welcoming.
Cassis, cherries, a hint of tobacco and pepper, firm structure, elegant, well balanced, a pleasure to drink.
8/8+, nice
2024 Woodbrook Farm Vineyard Petit Manseng Monticello (15.4% ABV)
Light golden
First two days the wine was just too sweet
Day 3:
Honey and caramel on the nose, candied fruit, sweet plums
Honey, ripe white plums, floral undertones, lemon curd, velvety, good acidity on the finish
7+, I still don’t love this wine, but it is drinkable on day 3. Probably great with blue cheese
2023 Valley Road Vineyard Cabernet Franc Reserve Monticello (13.7% ABV) – Governor’s Cup Winner!
Bright Garnet
Mint, currant, intense, open, inviting, promising a great depth
Delicious gobs of fruit (currant, dark cherries), tobacco, velvety smooth, luscious and seductive. Perfect balance.
8+, wow, a pure delight
2024 Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino Reserve Virginia (13.5% ABV)
Light golden
Delicious fresh white stone fruit, hint of honeysuckle, fresh, inviting
Fresh, vibrant fruit on the palate, white plums, Meyers lemon, good structure, excellent balance.
8, delicious, needs about 10 minutes to open in the glass.
2024 CrossKeys Vineyards Cabernet Franc Shenandoah Valley (14% ABV)
Cassis leaf, eucalyptus, a hint of green pepper
Bell peppers, a touch of black pepper, currant. It was leaner, firmer, and sharper on Day 1. On Day 3, it opened up into a bigger wine, more of the California fruit-forward style
8-/8, a nice rendition
There you are, my friends. As you can see, I was unable to fall in love with the Virginian rendition of Petit Manseng, it was just too sweet. By chance, a few days ago, I had a blend of Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng from Field Recordings in California, and it was stylistically similar, but a lot more elegant for my palate. But all in all, I can’t complain with 9 superb wines out of 12 – the beauty of the wine world, everyone can find what they like, as long as they are willing to look.
Have you had any wines from Virginia? What do you think of them?
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, #MWWC8 Theme, Water into Wine???, Wine in Numbers, About Champagne and more
Meritage time!
Let’s start with the answer to the wine quiz #93, Grape Trivia – Norton. In the quiz, you were supposed to answer 5 questions about the red grape called Norton.
Here are the questions, now with the answers:
Q1: Which of the following are synonyms of Norton?
a. Cynthiana, b. St. Croix, c. St. Vincent, d. Virginia Seedling
A1: While looks standard, this was a tricky question – did anyone noticed the plural on the “synonyms“? The correct answer here is Cynthiana and Virginia Seedling – both are synonyms for Norton, even though it seems that Cynthiana might be a slightly different clone rather than identical grape under a different name.
Q2: The winery in which state holds the trademark The Real American Grape®:
a. Arkansas, b. Missouri, c. Pennsylvania, d. Virginia
A2: This phrase was trademarked by Chrysalis winery in Virginia
Q3: Norton is an official State Grape of:
a. Arkansas, b. Mississippi, c. Missouri, d. Virginia
A3: Norton is a staple of wine production in Missouri, so yes, the correct answer is c, Missouri.
Q4: Norton grape generally classified as:
a. Vitis Aestivalis, b. Vitis Cinerea, c. Vitis Labrusca, d. Vitis Vinifera
A4: While there are some competing opinions, it seems the Norton is generally classified as Vitis Aestivalis (Summer Grape), which according to definition in Wikipedia is a “species of grape native to eastern North America from southern Ontario east to Vermont, west to Oklahoma, and south to Florida and Texas”.
Q5: As you know, Riedel is the best known wine glass maker, which creates wine glasses designated for different varietals. True or False: Riedel makes a special varietal glass designated to Norton
A5: Riedel created a Norton-specific glass (a stemware, to be called properly) in 2009
I’m glad to report that we had good participation in this quiz. Nobody was able to provide a full answer to the first question – but then again, it was somewhat of a tricky question so I’m accepting the partial answers here as well. Thus we have three winners – Suzanne from apuginthekitchen, Kirsten The Armchair Sommelier and Julian from Vino in Love – they all get the prize of unlimited bragging rights. Well done!
Now, to the interesting stuff around the vine and the web!
First of all, the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge, now in its 8th reincarnation, has a new theme. As announced by Kara The Sweet Sommelier, winner of the round #7, the new theme is Luck. You might need some luck to connect it to the wine, unless you have a lucky bottle, lucky cork or may be a lucky corkscrew – but in any case, put your lucky hat on and start writing. For all the details, including submission and voting timeline, here is the link to Kara’s post.
Remember Jesus? Yep, The One. Supposedly, he was able to make wine out of water, and this was definitely the miracle. So the new startup, called The Miracle Machine (hint, hint), intends to do exactly that – bring that miracle to all of us, mere mortals. A special device, a little bit of magic and, of course, an iPhone to control the magic, and the founders promise the wine which will rival Screaming Eagle, all done on your kitchen countertop, at a fraction of a fraction of a price. You can read more about the miracle device and watch the video here – as for me, I will take my chances with the local liquor store.
Number junkies, rejoice – I have a new set of numbers for you. As many times in the past, they come from Mike Veseth, who writes the blog The Wine Economist. The point of the numbers is really to illustrate the economic concept called disintermediation, which here has to do with a simple question – how many people does it take to produce a bottle of wine? Some wine businesses prefer to own vineyards, and the whole process of winemaking, and some are “outsourcing” as much of the process as possible to the other specialized businesses (like mobile bottling line, for instance), and this is what disintermediation is all about. The numbers are very interesting, if you think that it takes 4,000 people at E&J Gallo Winery to produce about 85M cases of wine worldwide, and then it takes only 95 people to produce 1.7M cases at Bogle Vineyards. But – take a look for yourself here, I think this is a very interesting read.
Next up – a very interesting article by Jancis Robinson, talking about what the wine drinkers are asking to have more and more in Champagne – in a few words, the demand is to have Champagne more complex (longer aging time on the lees), and more dry (like no added sugar at all). Of course you are better off reading it for yourself here.
Last, but not least at all, I want to bring to your attention an article about wine serial entrepreneur, Charles Banks. I’m always fascinated by the stories of the people who are told that they better give up, and they achieve their best results despite all odds ( Charles Banks was told that asparagus is all he can hope for to grow on the patch of land he acquired – and he managed to produce a great wine on that patch of land). I suggest you will find 5 minutes in your busy day and read this article – definitely worth your time.
And we are done here. The glass is empty – but the refill is on its way! Cheers!
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